In short
MLS Cup playoffs recap (Inter Miami vs Nashville; LAFC vs Austin; Philadelphia vs Chicago), plus debate segments on Messi/Ronaldo, Neymar’s Brazil omission, Vinícius Jr./penalty drama at Real Madrid, and USMNT player-minutes controversy involving Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards.
Guests
Sebastian Salazar (ESPN soccer analyst/host) and Herculez Gomez (former MLS player, analyst). They discuss match footage and make tactical/management critiques.
Key claims
Inter Miami are “on the brink” of elimination because their defense is vulnerable (high line, slow goalkeeper, poor pressing), and coach Javier Mascherano isn’t making enough in-game changes. They argue best-of-three format can punish top teams and help weaker sides. Mascherano’s lack of knockout experience is questioned. Neymar’s World Cup odds look low given repeated Brazil non-selection. Vinícius’s penalty miss is framed as part of ongoing internal tension, while Xabi Alonso is praised for handling it.
Notable examples
Nashville’s early penalty by Sam Surridge; Inter Miami’s late Messi goal (2-1 final). LAFC’s Danny Ángulo/Bowanga scoring spree (3-1/4-1). Philadelphia’s 3-0 win over Chicago amid homophobic chants. Glasner complaint: Richards played “every single minute” despite calf issues.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOInter Miami vs. Nashville Recap
0:45 to 2:56
Discussion of the MLS playoff game between Inter Miami and Nashville, including key moments and player performances.
“We will also be talking about a little beef brewing between the coaching staff of the U.S.”
Inter Miami's Playoff Struggles
2:56 to 6:40
Analysis of Inter Miami's playoff performance and Messi's role, including defensive vulnerabilities and missed opportunities.
“We have had situations, we have not been fine in the last third.”
Coaching Challenges and Team Dynamics
6:40 to 11:16
Exploration of coaching decisions, player responsibilities, and the overall team structure of Inter Miami under Javier Mascherano.
“We go back to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, disastrous eliminations.”
Inter Miami's Struggles
14:00 to 14:27
Discussing the challenges faced by Inter Miami and Lionel Messi.
“that certainly Inter-Miami brass hoped he could be.”
Messi vs. Ronaldo: The Ongoing Debate
15:35 to 20:45
Analyzing Cristiano Ronaldo's comments about Lionel Messi and their rivalry.
“One more time, gusto.com slash football.”
MLS Cup Playoffs Recap
20:45 to 23:04
Reviewing the latest matches in the MLS Cup playoffs.
“All right, let's get back to the action on the field because we do have more from the MLS Cup playoffs to go over.”
Chicago Fire's Elimination and Fan Behavior
23:04 to 28:00
Discussing the Chicago Fire's exit from the playoffs and fan reactions.
“What about the Eastern Conference playoff?”
Sanctions and Stadium Behavior
28:00 to 30:14
Discussion surrounding the need for strict sanctions in stadiums to curb misconduct.
“But at some point, you've got to come down with a heavy hand.”
Neymar's Future with Brazil
30:14 to 31:26
Analysis of Neymar's exclusion from Brazil's squad and implications for the World Cup.
“which, of course, is available for you seven days a week right here on ESPN+.”
Neymar's Fitness and World Cup Odds
31:26 to 35:36
Discussion on Neymar's injuries, fitness, and likelihood of making the World Cup squad.
“Carlo Ancelotti has named his 26-man squad for Brazil's upcoming friendlies.”
Show all 17 chapters
Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid Drama
35:36 to 39:58
Examining the recent drama involving Vinicius Jr. and his penalty miss for Real Madrid.
“Yeah, unless there's maybe two months of amazing play for Santos that we can't really.”
Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid Drama
42:00 to 42:34
Examining the recent drama involving Vinicius Jr. and his penalty miss for Real Madrid.
“Allerge your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition.”
USMNT Player Performances
42:42 to 48:24
Discussion about recent performances of USMNT players in various leagues.
“Ricardo Pepe off the bench and got a goal for PSV in their 5-2 victory over Fortuna Citar.”
Challenges for International Coaches
48:24 to 56:01
Analysis of club vs national team dynamics and communication issues.
“You do need him, and when you get some decent competition like they got in the last window, you do need to play him for 90 minutes.”
MLS Challenges and the Future of USL
56:01 to 57:20
Explore the competitive landscape of MLS and USL, focusing on player development.
“When there is no competition, when there is nobody from the outside pushing you, why do away with the salary cap?”
USL Playoffs Highlights and Key Moments
57:21 to 1:00:58
Recap of thrilling moments and key performances from the USL playoffs.
“All right, let's get into, speaking of USL, some highlights from the playoffs because we're in the postseason.”
USL Playoffs Highlights and Key Moments
1:01:32 to 1:01:51
Recap of thrilling moments and key performances from the USL playoffs.
“It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:13This podcast features Sebastian Salazar and Herculez Gomez. So I got my Loudon United. Ah. What do you got? I got a... What's up, Paulo? Whatever you got, I like it. It's a good-looking kit there for those listening on the podcast. Lots coming up in this edition of the show. Speaking of Brazil, Neymar, again, left out of the Brazilian squad. We will be talking about that. We will also be talking about a little beef brewing between the coaching staff of the U.S. men's national team and Oliver Glasner, the manager of Crystal Palace. Some interesting back and forth to discuss there. But let's start with the MLS Cup playoffs and none other than Lionel Messi and Inter-Miami visiting Nashville over the weekend for game two of their best of three first round series.
1:08Remember, Messi and Inter-Miami winning game one. We'll pick this one up six minutes in. Nashville going over the top. Sam Surge first to it. And we're going to the penalty spot. Herc, you got any problems with that? Well, at first glance, I'm thinking, well, you made a meal out of this one. Then you see the angle right here. That leg, that's a penalty kick. Rios Novo there off his line, the guilty party. Surridge steps up, 1-0 Nashville. Yeah, it was a good initial ball by Honey Moukhtar. Surridge goes around, just draws a penalty kick, takes it himself. How about this pass from Rodrigo de Paul, Luis Suarez rounds the goalie off the post.
1:45Inner Miami so close. Oh, Rodrigo de Paul was playing in this game. It's a very good ball through. What concert, Murk? What concert? Luis Suarez off the post and, oh, ever so close. 32nd minute ever so close. Allende here just misses getting a boot on. It would have been a beautiful goal that started with a pass. Hear me out. Hear me out. Lightest of pulls to the jersey. Allende definitely wanted the pen there. Just before the half, Nashville looking for a second to get it off the corner. Josh Bauer scuttling it over the line. My man Bauer hits his hour. He's a center back. He's playing as a fullback in this game.
2:19And guess what? He's coming through. 66th minute. Luis Suarez off the chest face of Joe Willis. That was the first shot on target of the match for Inter Miami, Herc. Allende. Keep an eye on Allende. And he should have given the ball to Messi. Look at Messi. He's going to turn around. Why didn't you give me the ball? Watch this. Great ball in. Good initial contact right here. Could have given it to Messi. He does not. All right. Well, Messi's going to do something. Right? Right? Right? 89th minute, 2-1. That's why you give it to Messi. That's exactly what it is. This isn't a sister to the other, Paul.
2:49He did nothing spectacular. He just gave it to Messi. When in doubt, Al-10. Messi scores, but in the end, not enough. 2-1 the final. Here's Javier Mascherano.
3:21Luis, who is going to play. We have had situations, we have not been fine in the last third. And there is also a merit from the rival, which is not good, that it is not good, that it is not good, that it is not good. I think that in the second time, in the second time, beyond that they were going to be able to move a lot more, We found some situations where we could not have, in the last pass, in the last touch, find a free player. But beyond that, I think the players have made a big effort. We have not reached it. And now we are preparing to do a great game on Saturday and pass the eliminator.
4:18memory of the peso, this is so, memory of the peso, forget what happened today, try to improve what we have to improve by Taza Adentro, to power what we have done well, and the Saturday is nothing more nice than a limited situation, at least for me, that's why we are talking about it, for that we are talking about it, if we are not in this situation, we are at home, tomando mate y mirando el sol.
4:52All right, Herc, so there we have it. A second year in the row. The Inter-Miami are on the brink of a playoff elimination in the first round against a lower seed. Where do you want to start here? Feels like a big missed opportunity for Messi and Co. A massive opportunity missed for Messi and Co. And you just said it, Seb. This isn't a surprise. This isn't coming out of nowhere. They saw what happened to them last year when they played in abysmal, and I say with all due respect to Atlanta United, an abysmal Atlanta United, and they lost in three games. They couldn't get out of a best of three series.
5:25Being a historic team last year, the bookies' favorite, odds-on favorite to win, and again, here they are, MLS Cup favorites, and on the brink of another elimination. Now, I say brink because they got to lose. They have to lose. We're going to give Inter-Miami the benefit of the doubt. heading into a third game. But is this really what you want if you're Inter Miami? A third game with Messi, who's 38 years old, with Messi, who physically, physically, you're asking him to go another 90 minutes to seal up this victory. You need to save as much of Messi as you can get. And in a game where you have to be smart, you can't play the same way you play at home as you play away, even if you have Messi, because teams are starting to figure you out.
6:14Hani Mukhtar comes to the center back's feet, picks the ball up, deep ball through to Suraj, who makes a run. This is a guy who's over six foot. He's a big, lanky guy making that run, beating you in behind, draws a penalty kick, and now you're behind the eight ball because your team is not built to chase because your team is going to get stretched and because teams are starting to figure you out. So it was brink of elimination last year, eliminated. Brink of elimination this year, they could be eliminated. We go back to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, disastrous eliminations. We go back to, what else do you want?
6:47Club World Cup? The way, granted, it's PSG. But you've got to be smarter about how you go about certain games. And they've not been that. There have been some players on Inter-Miami's roster, 11, who have not pulled their weight. It can't always be Messi. Messi's been the best player, not Inter-Miami, but of the league. But you can't ask him to be the best player every single night at 38 years of age. If you're going to pay Rodrigo DePaul, all you're paying him. If he's going to go off and take off midweek to go visit his girlfriend in Argentina. There it is. You got to come up and you got to show out.
7:20You have to show out because he's been bad. He's been bad in that center of the midfield. Yeah. So as far as Messi goes, I thought Messi was good, was what you'd expect from Messi. Obviously, the goal at the end, there was a chance in the first half that he missed. But there were some passes. We showed you the one in the highlight that almost ends up in a goal. Would have been like a hockey assist. But that pass that he hits to Alba, I mean, that's just vintage, beautiful Messi. And that's the type of play he makes once or twice a half, maybe three or four times a game. And that should be enough for most teams.
7:48The problem with this Inter-Miami team, and I think you pointed out the first goal, that's the evidence right there. They are incredibly vulnerable defensively. Hani Mukhtar is not somebody you don't scout. That's a league MVP. He picks up the ball and nobody steps to him. And the ball that he hits, Hercan, I know you'll appreciate this as a forward, is not a great ball. It's just that that high line is so out of whack. There's so much space behind. And then we get to the goalie. And they are so slow. Totally. But Rios Novo, to me, is another problem. If you're going to play the way Inter-Miami play, you need a Ter Stegen type.
8:21A sweeper keeper. A stand-on-your-head guy who can bail you out of games. Inter-Miami does not have that on their roster. And I look at this team, and I really start to worry because this game went the opposite of most Inter-Miami scripts, where Inter-Miami are the team that's usually kind of rope-a-doping the other team. The other team is not finishing, is maybe a little starstruck. They're not being as good as they should be. Inter-Miami was wasteful here. And if Inter-Miami is going to be wasteful in these playoffs, they are not going to advance simply because, Herc, they are not good enough defensively.
8:52They are so, so vulnerable. I know we've said it time and time before, but you look at that first goal, you cannot allow that to happen five minutes into a game like this. That's the way you beat Inter-Miami, and it's been like that for the longest time. And no matter the legs that they try to give Messi, the players they try to build around Messi, it's not enough. You've got Luis Suarez, who's very good in front of goal, who's very smart, how he interplays with Messi, how he links up in that final third. But when you have Luis Suarez and when you have Messi, you're asking why somebody like Hani Moukta can come off the center back's foot, pick it up, and nobody's pressing him because you don't have the type of player up top to press you.
9:30World football is a little different now. World football is everybody has to work. It's more vertical. It's more physical. this team is not vertical. This team is not physical. That said, they had plenty of chances in this game. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. Allende is cleaner, more clinical, more intelligent. And when he gets the ball, picking his head up, there was a play where he tries to have a go at it by himself. Messi afterwards looks at him and goes, hey, man, I'm right here. Yeah. It's a square ball you play to the greatest player that's ever played, and now the game's even. And now it's a different panorama.
10:05And now you give yourself an opportunity against a team that you've dominated historically. You have dominated Nashville historically. Well, B.J. Callahan's Nashville, they understand that they have to be more physical. And that physicality doesn't just mean coming in and cleaning with tackles. That means also running your opponent into the ground because they understand that this opponent can't keep up with them that way. So we're looking at a game three this Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Inter-Miami-Nashville to move on. What do you think the fallout will be if Inter-Miami is eliminated? Like, as we think about that potential blame game, because, again, we're not there yet, where do you think the responsibility lies as we look at this Inter-Miami team that right now, at least based on the game we just saw about Nashville, feels a little bit like it's disintegrating in midair at the most important time of the season?
10:51You know, it's very easy to point the finger at the coach and Mascherano. It's easy because it's obvious, sir. It is obvious, but what's he going to do? Not play Sergio Busquets? not play Luis Suarez, any coach in this position, for as experienced as you are, you're going to play the players that are around Messi, that were brought in to be around Messi. That's a reality. He doesn't have the luxury of having the goalkeeper you just asked about. Or center backs who can play a high line with the ability of a little bit of athleticism where if they get caught, 1v1 situation, they can be belled out of it with make-up speed.
11:26He doesn't have that luxury. I'm not blaming the format here. but this is blowing up in Major League Soccer's face. They would rather the gate of a best of three and I guess three games that are televised than reward the best team. This series would have been over if it was one game. Last year's two. Last year's two. It would have been over. And the biggest marquee player you have would have been on to the next round and less games under his belt. That's the way you reward a team. This best of three, it gives opportunities to the weaker teams. It really does. It really does. And we're seeing this.
12:14We see the majority of teams who go out into, who advance into, I should say. It's not a lot. It's not many. More games go to three. And in a league where I think home field advantage really matters, and world football home field advantage really matters, You have to reward these teams, not punish them. I look at Mascherano, and for me it's obvious. I get what you're saying. Like there's some limitations that are beyond his pay grade as far as this roster is concerned. He didn't really do anything in terms of in-game changes in this matchup. And, you know, they go down early. There's a goal again just before the half.
12:47And I'm looking at that and saying, all right, well, you've got to go to your bench. Now, he didn't make a change at the half, and I think he made one like 10 minutes into the second half. He makes no other changes. Maybe they don't have the deepest bench, but that game was screaming for something. So I look at Mascherano and I say, all right, you're not really managing in-game. What was the big knock against Inter-Miami last year? Their defense was terrible. Their defense got worse this year. I mean, somehow their defense got worse. So I wonder, in a situation where you're going to need your coach to push a button, unless Messi's just going to bail you out, and that's a possibility.
13:17That's a real possibility with this team for every game they're in. I just don't see him as the guy that's going to push the right buttons. And yeah, if this team goes out, we'll talk about Rodrigo DePaul and we'll talk about all those things. But at the end of the day, you've got to have somebody in that technical area that can get you over the hump. And I have big, big doubts about Mascherano when it comes to knockout football. We had big doubts about Tata Martino, and he's a very dominant coach in this league. We have doubts about Mascherano because of how he got the job. He has no experience.
13:42He was a failed U-20 coach who didn't qualify for the World Cup and then went to the World Cup due to political reasons. And they still crashed out at a home World Cup. Same thing with the U23s at the Olympics. Mascherano has not had any evidence of a body of work that he could be the manager that certainly Inter-Miami brass hoped he could be. So this isn't a surprise to me. We're watching him in that little press conference he did, and he's talking about, you've got to be a fish. Is Ted Lasso? It is remarkable to hear him kind of scrambling like that. Inter-Miami Nashville, they will play on Saturday.
14:19a game three in Fort Lauderdale as Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi and company look to move on. Gab Marcotti here for Gusto. Right now, everyone is trying to run leaner, tighter budgets, smaller teams, higher expectations. Now, the last thing you have time to waste on is manual payroll or chasing down an HR form. Gusto is how small business owners get time back when every hour counts. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses. It's all in one, remote friendly, and incredibly easy to use. So you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere. Automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers comp, 401k, you name it.
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15:58Speaking of Lionel Messi, that's exactly what our guy Cristiano Ronaldo has been doing of late. Let's check out this quote. This is in response to Wayne Rooney's comments where he said that, yeah, it was Messi and not his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo that is the greatest of all time. Messi better than me? I don't agree with that opinion. I don't want to be humble, says Cristiano Ronaldo. Herc, what do you make of these comments from CR7 as related to the ever-present debate between Messi and Ronaldo? Zero issue with him. Yeah. Zero issue with him. And probably zero surprise with him too, right?
16:35Absolutely not surprised one bit. And I think the fact that it was Wayne Rooney who said this was what set him off a little bit even more because this is supposed to be a player that's played with you. He was your teammate. And here he is saying that somebody who's never played with, who's only seen on TV, is better than him. I've got zero issue with this. I think when we talk about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, this debate, which I love, which I love,
17:01is gustos. It's really a preference. Now, I'll explain. Somebody said, how can it be a preference? Look what Messi has done. A Ballon d 'Or, World Cup champion, Copa America champion. If Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal win this next World Cup, the debate is on again. You have a player who's won five Ballon d 'Ors, who's going to win the World Cup, a European championship, who's going to be the all-time leading goal scorer in international football and world football, who's most likely going to get to 1 ,000 goals, the greatest goal scorer the sport has ever seen, of course he's going to be back on.
17:39And rightfully so. And I go back to there's no right or wrong answer here. I love the way Messi plays. Absolutely love it. That would be my pick. But I have no problem if somebody else says, well, I think Cristiano's better. and once all of us are gone and only the history books are there only the numbers are there it's a very compelling case for Cristiano Ronaldo it really is I think that's kind of the achievement right and I think you know it's not a surprise that he says this and I don't want people to hear that and think oh well Sebi's like a Ronaldo hater he's talking about his arrogance in a negative way I'm talking about it in a positive way I think you know that's what makes him different.
18:26It's what makes him great. If you interviewed, I don't know, 99.99 % of footballers and you told them that, hey man, Wayne Rooney was said, Lionel Messi's better than you. They would all say, yeah, no. And Ronaldo not only says that, you know, he believes he's at least at Messi's level, if not better, you know that he believes it in his own head. And to your point, there's at least a numerical, a statistical discussion to be had. And against the extraterrestrial numbers that Messi has put up, that's the achievement. That's really what is incredible about Cristiano Ronaldo. So I think anybody that's surprised by this or takes umbrage with it hasn't been paying attention to this back and forth over the years.
19:09And the ego, the willingness to say this is what makes Cristiano Ronaldo great. The other interesting thing about these two guys, and this was actually something producer Beto put in my ears. Since they've gone to their respective kind of final acts, we'll call it that, Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer, the trophies haven't exactly followed. I think Ronaldo has one kind of minor cup with Al Nassar, and of course Messi has the 2023 Leagues Cup, which I think we put into the minor category. It's insane. Right? You would have thought wherever they go on, these guys are surely going to not just win hardware, but keep winning it at the clip that they did elsewhere.
19:40And for some reason in this era for them, it hasn't quite worked out. it really is mind-boggling because you see what they've achieved in different types of levels where it's much more difficult than where they are now. And you would assume that they would just follow naturally, that whatever team Messi was on would continue to win and whatever team Cristiano was on would continue to win. But football isn't like that. It's not an individual sport. It's going to be very difficult. But I do find it hard to believe that both have lived the same fate. If I just made very briefly on Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, We're very fortunate that we've seen these two in the same era.
20:20Because if we saw Cristiano Ronaldo in a different era with no Messi to take away a Ballon d 'Or, to take away Champions League, to take away whatever, and vice versa, we'd be comparing eras and throwing out statistics in the way we talked about Maradona and Messi, the way we talked about Pelé and Cristiano, that type of goat. But we got them in the same era, and I think they pushed each other. Absolutely. All right, let's get back to the action on the field because we do have more from the MLS Cup playoffs to go over. We'll start back in the Western Conference, actually, with LAFC taking on Austin in Game 2 Sunday.
20:56This after LAFC 1-Game 1. Pick this one up 21 minutes in. Oh, my God. Stop me if you've heard this before. Danny Bowanga, Hung Min-Song. Oh, 1-0 LAFC. Yeah, but look who Sung is going to do this little step over against. That's Ilie Sanchez right there, who's now lined up 1v1 in the box. Last defender there. Just a little step over, blazes past him. He going. Three minutes later, more from LAFC. Sung gets a through ball. Chaos at the back. Bawanga, 2-0. I mean, I understand, Brad Silver. Like, you've got to try to make a play there. unlucky he doesn't get the best of it. Song finds Danny Bowanga who now has Ilie Sanchez at the back and a goalkeeper trying to make a play.
21:51Still first half here and LAFC are gonna add a third. Bowanga again. This is a scary scary team in transition and if you're chasing the game you are chasing the game against LAFC you are in trouble. That's what Austin FC we're doing here Still first half stoppage time. Viro fouled in the penalty area. Not called on the field, but we do go to VAR. And we're going to the spot, Herc. That's the second time they will go to the spot. First one was missed. Second one. He's going to make it. Yeah, Danny Pereira to make it 3-1. In the second half stoppage time. Ooh, you love this. Beek, beek. Marky Delgado ahead to the pride of Walter Johnson High School.
22:34Jeremy Abobese. Yes, sir. 4-1. Get in there baby. Ender's got a very complicated job here. It's these marking two players. He's gotta stop a former Wildcat. That's a complication baby. Why is he going to celebrate with Mark? You know God, I just gave him a gift. LAFC win the first two in that series and they are through to the next round, eliminating LAFC and we told you before the playoffs. It is a two man wrecking crew for LAFC son and Bwonga doing their absolute best there in the Western Conference playoffs. What about the Eastern Conference playoff? First, let's give you a little Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union.
23:10Philly, your Shield winners, they took game one in penalties. Eight minutes in here, and the Union is going to go up 1-0. Ty Barrivo taking advantage of the big mistake in the back. Yeah, Jeff Gall, the number two Chicago Fire local kid. Chris Brady unavailable, the starting goalkeeper, lower leg injury, and he makes a meal out of that one. Eight minutes later, Kai Wagner, the cross. Barrivo again, 2-0 Philly. Yeah, again, this is, it comes off an initial throw-in sub. Throw-in for Philly, and unbelievable marking. 29th minute. Penalty gets off the corner kick. Zach Elliott there. Yeah, he's on the pen.
23:53Next, Philly. Brian Gutierrez stepping up. Andre Blake stepping up more. He's going to want that one back. Just, ah, very easy for Andre Blake. And then, yep, goals you don't score. Something, something, something. Come back to launch you. Shades of Casey Keller in World Cup qualifying back in 1997. Everybody remember that? Or am I just totally dating myself? Did he do it twice? Bruno Damiani there. Jeff Gall again. He's so bad for the Chicago kid. I mean, he's not a kid. He's 32 years old. But things getting ugly here late in the game. Chicago fans frustrated. We hear the now infamous homophobic chants.
24:31and eventually the coach, Greg Berhalter, having to go over and basically plead with the fans to stop there. In the end, Philly wins 3-0. They eliminate Chicago. So the fire go out in pretty ugly fashion there, Herc. What do you make of the scenes with Greg Berhalter and the fans in Chicago?
Read the full transcript
24:52I don't understand it. From who? I don't understand it from the fans of Chicago. I understand the frustrations of Chicago. Finally getting back to the playoffs after I don't even know how many years. So many years. And on the brink of elimination in the game, they had to win. Their starting goalkeeper goes out injured. Back up. Has a shocker. They have a missed penalty kick. And then they have a goal called back. They're very frustrated. and their solution is to weaponize this homophobic chant in a way to get back at Philly, at the Philadelphia players, or at what they're seeing. I don't understand what world they live in.
25:48They think because to them, this isn't homophobic. It means it's not homophobic. Yeah. My world. Not yours. I don't care what society says. And the worst part is you've got their head coach who's literally pleading with them. Pleading with them. And they continue to weaponize it. I went back out of curiosity. Watch the highlights that Major League Soccer provides. Did they put it up? Major League Soccer did not put it up. Of course. And every play, because I know the minutes, they drowned out the part of their highlight where the chant was said. So not only do you have cowards in Chicago who weaponize this, you have cowards in MLS headquarters who want to act like it never happened.
26:35Yeah, I mean, I hear that part of it, and I don't actually disagree with that that might be the motivation for the MLS offices. I would also maybe see their perspective, which would be, well, let's not platform this anymore. Let's not put this out anymore. Let's not act like it didn't happen, though. Yeah, I mean, we've seen some statements and stuff. I think, you know, putting the video out is something that from an MLS— Do you think it was a relevant part of the game? The stoppage? I mean, no, at that point the game was over. No, no, no. Do you think— It's a relevant part of the story. I think that's why we're talking about it for sure.
27:02But I could see why from an MLS standpoint you just wouldn't want to put that up anymore because it is, at the end of the day, what you're talking about, offensive. I think I want to say the one thing here is I want to— because we don't do this often on this show, I want to applaud Greg Berhalter. We've had this conversation, some of the stuff you're saying, some of the stuff I'm probably about to say for two, three, four years on this show. It's very rare that we have seen a coach address it. It's even more rare that we have seen a coach address it in such a direct way in the middle of a, by the way, season-defining game, going over and basically pleading with the fans to stop.
27:35A guy who's trying to do it, and by the way, not his job, not Greg Berhalter's job. Of all the things he's got to worry about with Chicago and trying to rebuild that team, playoffs, dealing with the Shield winners in Philadelphia, not his job. That's stadium personnel. That's GM. That's somebody way higher than Greg Berhalter. So I want to applaud him for at least being the one who, as ridiculous as the image is, being willing to say, all right, I'll go out there. I'll be the face of trying to stop this thing. But at some point, you've got to come down with a heavy hand. And we talk about this a lot kind of off camera.
28:07Technology in this world is everywhere. They can tell us where we're shopping, what we're doing. You know for a fact they can ID the people that are doing this with this facial recognition technology. Put it to good use. Hand out some lifetime bands, and that'll be the thing that really sets in motion. Hey, if you're going to come in a stadium, whether you think it's okay or not, and you're going to break the rules, we're going to find you, and we're going to kick you out. Otherwise, we're going to have this scene, and we're going to have this stupid conversation on this desk until we're blue in the face until the end of time.
28:37You've got to come with some serious sanctions. That's what I want to see from MLS. Use all that tech, find who these people are, put them on a list, and get them out of stadiums so we can finish games. It's just embarrassing. It really is. And there are those who would say this is a Mexico problem, a Liga Mequis problem. No, this is in MLS as well. This isn't the first time we've seen this in MLS. In MLS, every single supporters group they have, they have registries. They know who these people are. They know where they work. They know how many times they are in their stadium. We live in a world where you do something, it's going to be caught on camera.
29:14It's going to be caught on camera. And it's, for the life of me, I don't understand those who want to go about their own world as it doesn't affect me. So, screw this person. Yeah, and I think the bottom line is that whatever you think, you're in somebody else's house when you're in somebody else's stadium. You've got to follow their rules. One thing I'll say about this, quite a chippy series here. I like the potential rivalry. Did you hear the Chicago radio broadcast? I did. He was blaming the Philly players. I love a little local broadcast bias. You know, that's what the home fans want to hear.
29:47Do you have any problem with it? I do have a problem. Yeah. I mean, we're not going to blame the Philly players for homophobic chants being, you know, drawn out. No, I guess that's not what I was alluding to. No, I understand. I understand. They were having a fun. Monday, we're kind of having a go at the way Philly plays and kind of dogging it a little bit. But anyway, I can't wait for the first Chicago-Philly matchup of next year. I'm sure they won't be talking about that on the next edition of ESPN FC, which, of course, is available for you seven days a week right here on ESPN+. Don't miss a single show with Dan, Kay, Alexis, and the rest of the crew.
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31:25Let's talk some international football. Carlo Ancelotti has named his 26-man squad for Brazil's upcoming friendlies. And those hoping to see Neymar are going to have to keep on holding their breath. The 33-year-old was left out of Ancelotti's team again, despite the fact that he did play this weekend after a long injury layoff. That, of course, with his club team Santos. What did the new Brazilian manager have to say about it? Let's see the quote here from Ancelotti. Quote, I haven't spoken to Neymar. we will see when he can fully recover and play again, end quote. Herc, I would say not looking good here for Neymar when we project ahead to the 2026 World Cup.
32:04What say you? He's going to be 34 years old in February. He's a player that's been oft injured since he tore his ACL with lingering injuries that happen after a knee injury, muscular injuries. October friendlies came about. Carlo Ancelotti said, we don't need to test Neymar. We know who he is. He just needs to prove that he is fit. He's proven that he's fit. Sort of. I mean, he literally just came back. No, no, no. But he's not here. You know what I'm saying? So if he's fit enough to be back and he's not there, it's just not in Ancelotti's plan. Right. There's not going to be a magical moment where he plays zero minutes, zero camps leading up to the World Cup, and he makes the World Cup team.
32:50That's not really how it works. Not for most. He has the benefit of the doubt because he's Neymar. But certainly you see a young core of promising attacking players, Brazilian players, and Carlo Ancelotti's like, maybe I need to ride this wave. I don't think Carlo Ancelotti sees Neymar right now as a productive player on the team. Now, productive in many things, not just on the field, but off the field. How productive, how beneficial can you be to the group? And right now, he doesn't think that Neymar would be beneficial because my argument would be, I don't see a lot of creative players on this roster.
33:29And Neymar at 85%, 80 % is a lot better than a lot of what you have. And he's a leader on the field, and he's so respected. I think my issue, or I think Carlo Ancelotti's issue, is that these players will follow Neymar. Maybe not in the right way. But where will they follow? Yeah, it's interesting. I hear you say that 85 % of Neymar. You're definitely talking like five years ago Neymar at this point, right? I mean, he hasn't played for Brazil in two years. So when you say 85 % of Neymar, not present-day Neymar, we're talking 85 % of what we remember of Neymar with PSG and maybe the back end of his run with Brazil leading up to the 2022 World Cup.
34:1022 World Cup. If he's not injured against Croatia, they win that game. Dude, that's three years ago. Well, you said five. But what I'm saying is, like, I understand where you go. I think it's just since the knee injury that he's always had that flair. He's always had that talent about him. Yeah. But the only reason I'm even bringing Neymar into the equation is because I see the player pool. Yeah. Well, you see what Brazil is. You've seen the games. You see the fact they had to fire their coach and bring in Ancelotti. It's an abysmal player pool. This is not the Brazil we know. If there was ever a Brazil where a somewhat over the hill but still with some level of talent and quality Neymar could help, this would be it.
34:45The fact that Ancelotti is saying, like, I'd rather kick the tires on Vitor Roque than on this guy. I think tells you everything you need to know. And at this point, if that's the one name that I saw that I was like, oh, interesting. Right. If you look at the schedule, right, and you just think about time and everything. Seven months away. Yeah. And the next call up is what, March? Yeah. So like, if anything, now he's going to have to get in in March, win the spot in like a two month window, all assuming, by the way, that he's he's got to get fit and stay fit with Santos. I just it's so many ifs at this point.
35:18I would put the odds of Neymar playing in the World Cup right now at less than 10%. Is that too low? No, I don't think so. You think it's less than 10 %? No, no, no. I think it's around there. But what I will say is it wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world to see Neymar be on that World Cup squad. If he's there, it's a sign of desperation. I think that's where Brazil is. Yeah, unless there's maybe two months of amazing play for Santos that we can't really. Well, see, they have Senegal and Tunisia, two teams that have already qualified for the World Cup in these friendlies. Let's see what they look like against World Cup competition.
35:50And if things go very awry for Carlo Ancelotti, I could see him being in one of those desperate situations. All right, let's keep it on Brazil here. Another one of their stars, maybe more present-day stars than past stars. That, of course, Vinicius Jr., who was back in the starting 11 for Real Madrid this weekend after his blow-up in El Clásico. That was, of course, the story of the week, I guess, on this show as well, is over on ESPN FC. Now, this weekend, Real Madrid were playing Valencia. He had a chance to score and was offered up a penalty, of course, by Kylian Mbappé. But what happened, Erk?
36:26When Vinny stepped up, he missed it. Well, I mean, actually, there was save, technically. Well, you miss it. There are no save penalty kicks. It was badly taken. It didn't matter in the end, as Real Madrid ended up winning 4-0 over Valencia to stay in first place in La Liga. But it was a talking point post-match. Here's Xabi Alonso on the penalty situation at Real Madrid.
37:18All right, Herc, your thoughts on the latest bit of Vinny drama? What's the issue? The penalties, I guess. The fact that guys are going out of their way to try and give him an opportunity. So I see a good teammate in Kylian Mbappé that knows to get the best out of Real Madrid and you get the best out of Vinny Jr. And Vinny needs a goal. And a penalty kick would be a very good opportunity to score a goal. and Killian had just scored one. Not the first time he's done this. He did this, I want to say, a month ago with Vinny Jr. Gives him the penalty kick, Vinny Jr. scores the penalty kick. They asked Xabi Alonso, and that seems to be the press's favorite talking point with Xabi Alonso, Vinny Jr.
37:59Yeah, it's hot right now. It's hot. His thoughts on that. He said, hey, Killian's the first taker, and after that, they make their decisions. He said, no es gran tema. It isn't a big deal. There was a situation years ago where Xabi Alonso ripped the ball away from Cristiano Ronaldo's hands after pleading with them for a couple minutes to take a penalty in one of his last games around Madrid. Cristiano didn't want it, and he still took the penalty. So if anybody understands these type of things, it would be Xavi Alonso. I think you need to get Vinny going, and I think Kylian Mbappe knows this. Mbappe's the number one, yes, and he'll be the number one.
38:33But in that moment, if they make a decision, a collective decision, Mbappe and whomever else to take that penalty kick, you stand with it. He missed. He missed the penalty kick. Not the first guy to miss and probably won't be the last. And it's probably not going to be the last time he misses. It happens. But there is an overwhelming need with everything Real Madrid and Xavi Alonso to include Vinny in the middle. And Vinny's at fault for a lot of things. Absolutely. But it's adding on to that already, I guess, big drama that they had over the week. So I feel like if you go back to a classical, Xavi Alonso right here is doing everything possible to avoid a feud.
39:09Maybe almost too much, right? Like, I don't want to punish him. I'm starting him in the next game. Now he gets to take this penalty, and I'm not going to make a deal out of it. And Vinny, with obviously what he did in El Classico, but then we saw the apology and everything. It's like he's doing everything possible to find a confrontation with the manager. And I just wonder kind of what's the end game here for Vinny? Like, is it just a hothead player that can't control his emotions, or does he genuinely want out? Because he's so far off the player, even in the Classico, where he was good. Like, I think he was good for the 75 minutes.
39:41Very good. But he's so far off the player that was legit Ballon d 'Or. Yes, but he's better than the player that was last year. Okay. And he's better this year than last year. Yeah, already way better. And I can't fault Xavi Alonso for one thing. I think he's handled everything ridiculously well. Really? Ridiculously well. You don't think this will come back where some other player will say, well, if Vinny can do that to the manager, I can do that to the manager. Well, he has the Hendrick situation, Rodrigo's situation. He's got the Vinny situation, Valverde situation. And I think he's handled, even Mbappe himself, every single thing the right way.
40:18He's pressed every button the right way. So I will continue to give Xavi Alonso the benefit of the doubt. I will continue to give this guy who was coached by Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, by Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez, by some of the best coaches in the world, the benefit of the doubt until he gives me a reason not to. As of right now, whatever he's doing with Real Madrid is working. And he seems to be putting out the fires before they start. As for Vinny, well, Vinny's got a lot of growing up to do. Absolutely. Absolutely. But I don't think that's on Xavi. All right. Vinny and Real Madrid back in action on Sunday right here on ESPN+.
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42:41All right, let's run it back. USMNT style. We'll start in the era of Izzy. Ricardo Pepe off the bench and got a goal for PSV in their 5-2 victory over Fortuna Citar. There it is. Nice finish. It's a good finish. He's lucky he finished it. If I was his teammate, I would have been pretty upset. Running with him the whole time, he doesn't square it. He does what a nine does when he sees the goal. He shoots and it's a delicate chip, very good goal. The third league goal of the season for Ricardo Pepe in a win for PSV. What about the Premier League? Tyler Adams scoring his first Premier League goal for Bournemouth, even though they lost three to one.
43:20Kirk, it's been almost five years since his last club goal. That's the good news, bad news. He was forced off late after a big collision, but says he's okay. 73 club appearances in the Premier League and finally gets a goal. Donnarumma. Isn't that what he was supposed to be there for? You know, the coming out, being a big body. And then, well, big bang here. He feels it. He's going to come off. Why can't we have nice things? Tyler Adams scores. Are you getting worried? You need to have him healthy. And then he gets hurt and goes off. Although, like I said, he spoke after the game and seems like it's not too much to worry about.
43:55More from the Prem. Chris Richards playing the full 90 on Saturday as Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0. Her Crystal Palace right now ninth in the table through 10 games played. And, of course, Chris Richards, just like he is for the U.S. men's national team, a huge part of the effort for Crystal Palace. Their manager, Oliver Glasner, not very happy with the U.S. men's national team coaching staff and their handling of Richards during the October window. Worth noting, Richard did play the full 90 versus both Ecuador and Australia. Here's what Glasner had to say. Quote, my only complaint is the U.S.
44:32team didn't talk to us because Chris was struggling with his calf for many weeks. We talked to them and said he should rest as they were just friendlies. But they played him twice, every single minute. That's a little bit disappointing. Glasner apparently not done. On the other side, we've tried to manage his minutes here. Chris's body told him he needs more rest. He says he's fine. The medical department says he's fine. End quote. What do you make here of the one complaint? Turk from Oliver Glasner. I have so many different ways I can go with this. Go on. I don't want to go with this. Marisa Pochettino and the U.S.
45:03Men's National Coaching Crew have a communication problem? What are you telling me? Steady. No, I will defend them on this one. I will defend them on this one. They're not meaningless friendlies. Totally. They're preparing for a World Cup on home, so it's not a meaningless friendly. They don't have any actual competition. World Cup qualifying. These would be the qualifiers in theory. So it's not a meaningless friendly. And it was against top competition for them. So they got something out of it. Chris Richards would be a big part of that. Glasner has every right to be worried about Chris Richards and the minutes games he's played.
45:44And it's not the U.S. Men's National Team's fault that Crystal Palace in 13 days played five games. it's not their fault that Crystal Palace has Conference League, Premier League EFL, that they're going to have FA Cup, they're going to have all these different things with international fixtures this is world football, it's not the first team or player that has issues club and national team at the highest of levels, we see it La Minha Mal, we see it with Barcelona and the Spanish national team, Chris Richards is a massive part of Crystal Palace and a massive part of the US Men's National Team and I understand Glasner They're, what, ninth right now in the standings?
46:23Two points away from third. That's how tight the Premier League is. So I understand his worry for his player. And the worry should always be with the player's safety, their well-being. And that is being jeopardized. But it's not by the U.S. men's national team. It's not by the U.S. men's national team. It's by you. It's by the amount of games you play. It's by the amount of competitions you are in. So it would be very easy for me to take a shot right now at the U.S. men's national team about, well, the player, this and that. They are worried, as they should be, about the World Cup. As you should be worried, as you should be, about your competitions.
47:02This is more on the calendar congestion than anything else. Yeah, I feel like this is par for the course nowadays. Like, Oliver Glasser's not the first club coach to complain. He's not the last club coach to complain. This is the reality when you've got a million tournaments, a congested schedule. In England, they throw in the Carabao Cup on top of everything as well, so they've got even more competitions. Again, I hear it, but don't be complaining to the U.S. men's national team, which, by the way, has a World Cup coming up and gets maybe, what, 10%, 15 % of this guy's time. I also think it's a little bit ridiculous.
47:36You know, we've criticized Pochettino before. If ever there's been an international manager who's been almost too respectful of the club game. I would say it's been Pochettino. Look at everything he's done with Christian Pulisic. We hear he's not coming for the November window. Obviously, he didn't come for the Gold Cup. Remember, he let Pulisic leave halfway through the window when USA and Mexico were going to play in Guadalajara. So, Mauricio Pochettino has been very, very respectful of the club game. I don't really get this from the Crystal Palace perspective. And by the way, if you're Pochettino, when are you supposed to start building for the World Cup?
48:09We're here once every couple months screaming, and, hey, we don't want any more speculation. We don't want to see any more kicking the tires on random MLS players. Start building the team. Well, guess who's super freaking important to that? The guy who's going to be probably the center of your back three, Chris Richards. You're building your defense around this guy. You do need him, and when you get some decent competition like they got in the last window, you do need to play him for 90 minutes. So I have no problem with Bochathino playing him for 180 minutes in this window, and I got no sympathy for Glasner here.
48:36I don't know really what Crystal Palace is complaining about. You've got to let international football have the little bit of space that it needs, especially when we're less than 12 months from a World Cup. I don't get what these club coaches, they want it all. They want absolutely everything. His gripe isn't with the U.S. Men's National Team or Marisa Pochettino. It should be with his FA. It should be with the calendar, FIFA. With UEFA. With FIFA. With allowing this. Yeah, the players' union. It's not on Marisa Pochettino. And you're right. Let's say it wasn't Marisa Pochettino, a coach who was more firmly in control of his future.
49:08Let's say it was a coach who absolutely needed results. I think the coach is going to say, oh, yeah, you want me to rest one of my best players so you can be good? Yeah, okay, buddy. All right, so we focus on the U.S. men's national team. Let's run it back now, El Trista, because we did have some big performances from Mexican national teamers over the weekend as well. We'll start back in the Premier League with Raul Jimenez, who got his first Premier League assist of the season. It came early on in Fulham's 3-0 win Saturday against Wolves. Yeah, it's a very good through ball. This is the one thing about Raul Jimenez.
49:39He's the type of forward that when he's not scoring goals, he's still doing a lot of good things for his team, providing an assist tier. Ryan Sessegnon with the finish, full on 15th right now in the Premier League table as Raul Jimenez gets himself a productive day in the top league in the world. Liga MX, Armando Gonzalez, the 22-year-old scoring phenom for Chivas, Chivas the Ant-Man with a goal, his 11th of the season, as Chivas beat Pachuca, 1-0. Yeah. I'll allow it, Producer Beto. I will allow it. But he's not a national team player yet, okay? But I'll allow it on this running back. Soon. Soon.
50:19Oh, okay, okay. The one position Mexico doesn't need depth at. They got another guy. And then Chucky Lozano, goal for San Diego FC Saturday against Portland after he was benched in Game 1 for his behavior hurt. Yeah, MLS Decision Day bench in game one, and he finally comes out here. Big goal. It's a good little strike right there in right place, right time. Puts it away. San Diego did lose, though, in a penalty shootout. So game three between those two will be next Sunday in San Diego. Surely much more on Chucky and the rest of the MLS Cup playoffs on the coming editions of Ahora o Nunca, five days a week, Monday through Friday, with the crew over on ESPN Deportes.
51:04Big news, Herc, for USL. The league has hired Premier League Chief Football Officer Tony Scholes to lead the USL's new Division I league, which is likely to begin in 2028. Scholes will begin his new role in the summer of 2026 after finishing up the current season with the Premier League. Herc, on paper, I don't know, this feels kind of significant. What do you think? Is it something, nothing, or everything, this new hire for the USL? Oh, my goodness. Oh, don't be too excited about it. Well, because I know where we're going to go with this. Oh, where are you going to go with it? It's definitely something.
51:43Okay. Let me tell you why I think it's something of what actually will happen. Okay. I think Tony Scholes being part of player development like he was in the Premier League is going to be massive for USL. And that's going to be really where they hit out of the park with this figure. That's where I think they will grow. That's where I think they will take command of their own markets. And they will be a player in the U.S. market. I really do feel that. You can get around things like that there. But if we think that Tony Scholes is going to come into North America, where Major League Soccer already is, forget how you feel about Major League Soccer.
52:25That's a topic for – that's a different conversation. Well-established, clear number one league in the United States. If you want that combo, I'll have that combo with you. There's no debating it is the incumbent king of American men's soccer. It's top first division soccer. Whether you like it or not, whether they like it or not, it's what it is. So what you're having is promotion relegation with the lower divisions, who are family-owned. What you're having is pretty much your own game here while something else in major markets is being played up here. I don't know that's going to be viable. So we don't know that that's the case because we don't know what this new Division I is going to look like.
53:03Maybe it will also be in big markets, right? I don't think you think they're going to start a Division I league and have the biggest market. You tell San Diego Loyal that they're going to be competing with San Diego FC. And that's the problem here. San Diego Loyal had the chance to compete with San Diego FC and packed up shop and shut it down. Because they couldn't. And I love USL. I am for these type of stories. But if you're asking whether I think promotion relegation is going to work, if they're both first division, and I see one that's got its massive stadiums, sponsors, already in major cities, and another one that is trying to do the right thing.
53:47Because I do feel it is the right thing. If you're asking me if I think it's going to survive in the way that other leagues survive, I don't think so. Or strive in the way that other leagues strive, that's not where I'm going to go here. I think it's a very interesting concept that maybe Major League Soccer can use as a proof of concept if and when something happens. But I think the most significant part of this signing is the player development. That's where I think it'll take off for them. I mean, if I had to kind of lean one way, I would go everything here. And to your point about the player development, I agree with you there.
54:22One, I'm very excited because this guy's a soccer guy, right? Just straight up, if you look at his background. And a lot of times, and obviously he's not maybe the top guy in USL. There are other big business decision makers. But a lot of times you'll see people get hired for important positions in a league like Major League Soccer or NWSL, American Soccer Leagues. And their resumes are like sports business resumes. They're not soccer resumes. So from that perspective, I think it's everything. And the reason that I think it's everything is let's be honest about what USL is, right? Because we have conversations all the time, like where is MLS in the global ranking of leagues?
54:56And we settle maybe around 20 or 25. Well, if MLS is 20 or 25, what is USL then? Somewhere between 40 and 50, maybe, if we're being honest. That's just a ballpark. But let's say they're somewhere between 40 and 50. So you're the 40 or 50th biggest brand in the professional soccer space. And you just went out and you got the number one guy at the number one brand. That is a statement. That is a statement to me. One, that you had the ambition to go get that guy. And two, that that guy looked at your project and said it's worth leaving this job, the chief football officer job at the best football league in the world.
55:36That is very intriguing to me. And I do think that a hire like this is going to have big impact, not necessarily in a like soccer wars. USL is going to overtake MLS. But you put somebody like this in charge of a division one because that's another part of this super ambitious plan. Right. You have these three tiers. Eventually you go to promotion relegation. You know, you're going to push Major League Soccer. And you and I talk about this a lot. We are frustrated often with MLS. Messi talks about it a lot. When there is no competition, when there is nobody from the outside pushing you, why do away with the salary cap?
56:11Why loosen the purse strings? You don't have to. Something like this may down the road force MLS to be a little bit more aggressive. And I think if they are, that's going to be good for all of us. That's what I said. Proof of concept. Excuse me. I just don't see. I see the discourse online. I see the discourse from people who work in what we do. it's not there's pro-rel now you're going to show major league soccer and you're going to take over type of deal in world football money rules and when you're dealing with franchises the ballpark of half a billion dollars their own stadiums city funding to have players worth 30 million that's still going to reign supreme here and that's where I think USL is going to suffer.
57:00But player development is where I think they can actually take over Major League Soccer because they don't have to play to Major League Soccer's territories. They can go out and get their own territories, and I really think they can stay claimed in the player development area. And it's also a timetable thing, right? Like, we're not talking about five, ten years. I think the people at USL probably have a decades-long vision in terms of kind of how they want to attack what is the American soccer market. All right, let's get into, speaking of USL, some highlights from the playoffs because we're in the postseason.
57:27Conference quarterfinals. Louisville City, who were your best team in the regular season, hosting Detroit City. Devin Amumensa in the 34th minute, making it 1-0 Detroit. 65th minute, Carlos Saldana with a big-time save. That is a ridiculous save by Saldana. Look at this. Is that the ageless Brian Ownby there with the header? Denied in Detroit, then pulling the big upset. 1-0. They advance to the conference semifinal. Sacramento Republic hosting Orange County. This over in the Western Conference quarters. Pick this one up late. 88th minute. Still scoreless. Russell Ciceron missing a great chance.
58:13So we go to extra time. 96 minutes. Look at this strike. Hey, our guy, Rororo. There you go, Lopez. Off the post from deep El Capi. Look at this strike. Wow, some laces Dan laces. Oh, oh, even later on Lopez getting into it with Christopher Haggart and the referee is going to do the double red here. They both gone. Yeah, this is incredibly frustrating for Roro Lopez who was retirement game for him. So we go to penalties for for Tom Brew it there scores to give Orange County the lead. This will be the seventh penalty for Sacramento. Jack Gurnow. Orange County winning penalties 5-4, and they advance to the Western Conference semis.
58:59Charleston, Houston, Rhode Island, back in the Eastern Conference. Second half, 0-0. Look at this. This is a wide-open breakaway. Goalien, what a stop. I mean, had enough time to think about how he was going to react. It was all types of space. What happened here? Stays big, makes the save. Al Jennings there, the miss. Stoppage time. J.J. Williams looking for a winner for Rhode Island. The header, crossbar, bar down, denied. My man got up high. Look at this. Huff pie, snap better. Oh, goalkeeper out the crossbar. He got it. That was stoppage time. So is this. And we got some chaos over by the sidelines.
59:41Referee going to give a red card here to Nanan Hasu and a second yellow to Jojea Quisera. Oh, yeah, you gone. That'll do it. Guess what, Herc? We're going to penalties. Charleston's third penalty here, Arturo Rodriguez. No. Over the crossbar. Rhode Island's fifth. Jaime Marica needs it to win, and he gets it to win on a very nice field. Oh, my goodness. Where's the pitch crew there? Rhode Island winning in penalties. Final score of five to threes. We take a look at some of the other scores from the USL quarterfinal weekend. The local 11 here in Connecticut, Hartford Athletic, they go out in penalties against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
1:00:24The shirt that I'm wearing, Loudoun United, they go out against North Carolina FC. And your number one seed out of the Western Conference, that was FC Tulsa. They just about do enough surviving against switchbacks FC. That's the quarterfinal scores. What about the semifinal matchups? There you see them. Two in the east, two in the west. All of those games available for you on ESPN+. The action starts 7 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday with North Carolina FC taking on Rhode Island FC. All right, that'll do it for this edition of Football America's Herc. Episode 514. Roll click. Any final thoughts?
1:01:04514. 514, wow. End quote. End quote. Well said. 514. Put it on a postcard. Great to be with you. Thanks for hanging out. This show will be back on Thursday. We'll see you then right here on ESPN+.
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