Futbol Americas: Messi Completes MLS

26:42Well, this is a question that we get a bunch. We get a lot here. and I don't really understand it because if you follow the league you understand that it's not aging players who come to major league soccer that within those who follow the league know that that has been shed those who don't know are the ones who don't pay attention to major league soccer who stay with the idea that major league soccer is a retirement league those two players will play anywhere they will play anywhere they will go to Saudi Arabia they will go to the France they will go to Italy they'll go to La Liga they'll be welcomed anywhere because they're quality players So in these two players, they're going to play wherever they want.

27:19As far as the shedding of the retirement league, you know, the perception of the Eurostars, the older Eurostars, those are the people who don't really follow Major League Soccer and seeing how young Major League Soccer has gotten, seeing the trends of Major League Soccer. That's just contracting good players. Yeah, and that's what we saw with Alba and Busquets. The reality is that this team is going to look very different now without them next season. And we know that Lionel Messi, obviously that's top of mind for him. But when we talk about Lionel Messi, it's tough to not talk about Cristiano Ronaldo as well.

27:49And we know that this is the kind of constant comparison, right? We're going to have some fun with this question here. OK. I'll ask you first. Who's we? Ale. Who's going to have fun? Have at it, Ale. All of us, obviously, including producer Beto, director Melissa. Does this widen the gap between Messi and the Cristiano GOAT conversation, Ale? Winning MLS Cup doesn't do it for me. It was done before. It was done before, in my estimation.

28:23Did Messi win the World Cup? Mm-hmm. As Cristiano won the World Cup. Nope. Nope. Okay, so that winning MLS Cup, I don't think, actually moves the needle one way or another for Lionel Messi in this greatest of all time conversation. I, and it's a personal choice, and it's no disrespect or disregard for Cristiano Ronaldo and whatever he has done over the course of his career. It's a matter of taste. I think Lionel Messi is, was, will be a better player than what Cristiano Ronaldo is, was, and will be. And so, but that's just me. and over the course of their careers and in terms of their achievements, if you want to make it about that, if you want to make that the conversation, the ultimate decider for me, may not be for others, but for me, what is the most important trophy that you can win as a player?

29:26I think it's the World Cup. Messi has won it. Cristiano hasn't. May win it coming up, but we don't know that. Messi has already done it. that puts Messi on top of Cristiano Ronaldo. And even if Cristiano Ronaldo were to win it, I still would say that Messi's above him. But if Cristiano Ronaldo does win it, you could see. You can make the argument. You can make the argument. And honestly, look, one day we're not going to be here to tell these stories. We're not going to be here to tell people at the eye test how magical Messi was on the field and things he can do. It's going to be like our parents and our grandparents talking to us about certain players like Pelé, for example.

30:04And one day, the only thing that's going to be left after we're not around to those stories are the statistics. And that's the one thing that Cristiano Ronaldo has going in his favor. So if he were to win the World Cup, while I agree with Ale, I go with the eye test of Lionel Messi. But if he were to win the World Cup, which could be a possibility because Portugal's got a very good pool. That debate is wide open and we're going to be sitting or maybe somebody's going to be sitting here 30, 30 something years from now talking about Cristiano as the greatest because of the numbers. I've been watching a lot of interviews, I guess.

30:39I referenced Thomas Muller earlier. I saw something from Rodrigo de Paul not too long ago in which he was asked about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. And, of course, he's biased, given the fact that he may have a very close relationship with Lionel Messi. But I thought his take was really interesting and actually quite accurate. When talking about Cristiano Ronaldo, he referenced this guy's a killer. He's a monster. You don't want any part of him, and you know he's going to score goals. You know he's going to do things that people haven't seen before in terms of the productivity and the consistency.

31:16Un monstruo. That's how he referenced him. And then quietly transitioned and said, Leo Jarte, Messi's art. and that I think is the difference. Messi was doing the same things that Cristiano Ronaldo was doing but with a degree of art. And that, aesthetically, you watch them both play and you go, at least for me, that guy is going to score a bunch of goals. The little guy over here is going to score a bunch of goals too and he's going to look pretty doing it. I'm going to take this guy. Couldn't have said it better myself, Ale. We do want to remind you what's coming up this week or every day. ESPN FC available daily on ESPN+.

32:13Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same. Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with power boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Remember, goats only trust goats because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell. MLB.tv on ESPN is your home for every out-of-market game, live or on demand. Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy all in one place.

33:01Sign up now for MLB.tv in the ESPN app. Separate subscriptions required, blackouts, and other terms apply. Visit stream.espn.com slash MLB TV for more information. All right, let's take it across the pond now. Christian Pulisic had quite the day for AC Milan putting on that cape. Came off the bench in the 66th minute. Milan were down 2-1. Scored a brace in 10 minutes to catapult the Rossoneri to secure three points against Torino. Milan, by the way, are now unbeaten in 13 straight in the Serie. And this seems to be the trend here for Christian Pulisic. No surprise to see him have this type of performance.

33:44Hark, from off the bench. From off the bench, he had flu-like symptoms. He wasn't feeling himself. Didn't start. Comes off in the first minute of play, gets the equalizer. About nine minutes later, gets the game winner, both with his left foot. This is just typical Christian Pulisic this season and the past few seasons at AC Milan. Yeah, and completely different, at least in the team perspective, that we saw from last season. Milan, as I just mentioned, with this unbeaten streak here. Ale, but when it comes to Christian Pulisic himself, is this the best that we've seen him at the club level? It may very well be, but let me just tell you, he better keep it going because apparently he doesn't have a safe spot in the U.S.

34:24men's national team. Nobody. Nobody's safe. Nobody's guaranteed to be part of the World Cup, according to Mauricio Pochettino. Christian Pulisic is. Yeah. Christian Pulisic is. And look, there's no denying that Pulisic has elevated his play with Milan. And I think some of that has to do with the fact that there is a level of confidence that just wasn't there prior to his time at Milan. And sort of the tricky kind of situation. He was neither here nor there with Chelsea. Is he in? Is he out? Whatever the case may have been. I think, and I don't know Christian Pulisic personally, but it comes across as a guy that enjoys being appreciated and loved.

35:09Some people don't. Oh, I was going to say, don't we all? No, no, no. Some people thrive in chaos. Okay. Some people thrive in negativity. Why are you looking at me? You're a beacon of positivity. I wouldn't look at you like that. I'm a beacon of positivity. Obviously. No, but I'm merely suggesting that there are players that don't need that. Correct. I don't need you to love me. In fact, if you hate me, it gets something. It motivates me more. It gets me going. Fuel to the fire. Whereas with Pulisic, it just feels like he needs a pat in the back and he needs to feel important about what's going on and he needs to feel appreciated about what's going on.

35:47And that's obviously happened at Milan. And it shows in the level of performance, the level of confidence, the fact that you come in off the bench and that you know that you're going to have an impact on the game. And that certainty doesn't come unless you're feeling confident about yourself, that you're feeling good about yourself, that you know full well that your skill set is going to be in full display. All those things are now clear to see. Christian Pulisic's having a great time at Milan, and Milan are having a great time with Christian Pulisic. And those who would argue against Christian Pulisic would always use, it's not that Milan.

36:24Milan is the ninth place Milan. This Milan isn't ninth place. This Milan is first place in Serie A, and you see the numbers right there. Christian Pulisic doesn't need a lot of minutes to be effective. In fact, he's the most productive player in Serie A. Not just this season, not just last season, the last three seasons. We're talking about a player who's operating at a world-class level and he's feeling comfortable as Alejandro has just mentioned. Some players don't need it. Christian Pulisic just feels better in it. Can I just say, I'm sure that our research department does a wonderful job with their but I got I gotta tell you that that's that that screen that we just saw there was also to run I'm so fatty you involved in that conversation with Barcelona I didn't even see that well I you know I don't I don't know what we were trying to what point we're trying to make but I'm just merely suggesting that Christian Pulisic is scoring goals at the right time for Milan.

37:29Whatever else was going on there, I have no idea. This regard was going on there, but Christian Pulisic, and we could take this to the U.S. men's national team level, but I want to keep it at Milan, because this is a player, you spoke about that chaos, Ale. He's had four different coaches since he's been there. He's played on the right-hand side, he's played on the left-hand side, he's played as a 10, he's played as a 9, he's played everywhere for different types of coach, been asked different types of things from those coaches and different types of tactical schemes. He's now playing as a double 9.

37:56Christian Pulisic has thrived in his time at Milan. He finally feels comfortable. When he didn't feel comfortable at Chelsea, when nobody felt comfortable at Chelsea, the only year he did was lockdown Christian Pulisic during the pandemic. And you saw the best of Christian Pulisic. This is blowing that Christian Pulisic version out of the water. And he shows up in big games. He is finally living up to the potential many thought Christian Pulisic should live up to. I mean, call me selfish, given that it is a World Cup year coming up. Okay. Where are you going? I want this in the World Cup. I want this in the World Cup.

38:30See, if I were a fan of the United States men's national team, which I sort of have to be because guess what? Venezuela's not in it. Die! So I sort of have to get a team to get behind. Vamos, USA! Yeah. Doesn't quite have the same ring. No, it doesn't. Doesn't quite have the same punch. But hey, I want to see this at the World Cup. This is the sort of impact that I want to see. And I know that the competition, as you advance out of the group stage, gets progressively more difficult and so on and so forth. But against the three teams that they're going to face in the group stage, this is possible from Christian Pulisic.

39:14This sort of impact is possible. And not only is it possible, it should be the expectation. It should be the expectation. If you're scoring goals as consistently as he is, according to the numbers, whatever numbers we just showed, according to the numbers, he's scoring goals all the time, right, in Italy. Yes? Yes, he is. Okay? Do it with the national team. That's what I want to see. That's the next. I mean, I guess we're trying to up the bar for him, right? We're going to sit here and act like he's not the most important player in the U.S. men's national team. We're going to sit here and act like he hasn't done it with the U.S.

39:49men's national team. He did it last World Cup with a very inexperienced team. We've seen what a home World Cup can do for a player's image. My God, there are pundits living off that, and that was like 30 years ago. This could take those guys into a stardom they've never even realized. And Christian Pulisic, I know he doesn't like the limelight. I know he's soft-spoken, but if Christian Pulisic can have a good home World Cup, This will take him on another level of popularity, another level of stardom in his own country. Think about it. Did James Rodriguez going into the 2014 World Cup had a higher profile than Christian Pulisic does coming into this?

40:34No, of course not. And so I'm not suggesting that prime James Rodriguez is not a better player than Christian Pulisic. That's not what I'm saying either. But the point is well taken. that the World Cup can elevate your profile, can elevate who you are and what the perception is of you around the world because it is the biggest stage. And that's what I want. Go USA, let's go America. Come on, baby, number one. What I want is to see that sort of performance that we're seeing with Milan, to see it right there on the biggest stage. And we're all going to be paying attention. Look, you cannot turn on the television now without seeing Christian Pulisic playing with a credit card in a commercial or seeing driving some sort of car here or doing some sort of commercial there.

41:25Deodorant, yeah. Yeah, okay. So, look, if you're going to be, as it is the case for any athlete in this country, in any competition, we're going to see the same thing going into the Winter Olympics that are coming up. Yeah. The American athletes are going to be all over, all over the commercials. And so if you then get a gold medal in the event that you're supposed to get a gold medal, then your profile is elevated to a different level entirely. And so it's only natural that in a World Cup year, we have the expectation that the best player, the flag bearer, the guy, the reference point is expected to have a big World Cup.

42:04Yeah, well, we'll have a lot of time to talk about this performance in the World Cup. I know, I'm just saying, I get excited. America, baby! All right, I'm glad you have that energy of America, baby. Let's see if you're going to want this jersey. Drippin' or Drippin', the Nike Hollywood Goalkeeper Lifestyle jersey dropped today. Oh, oh my lord. Gentlemen, thoughts? The first thing that comes to mind, if you put a speedo on this, is Patrick from SpongeBob. Wow, I did not even think about that. Put a speedo on it. I understand what you're saying. I was like, why would we put a speedo? You're talking about the start.

42:41You put a speedo on the star. It's Patrick from SpongeBob. Okay. Oh, Lord, have mercy. Listen, I don't mind this one bit at all. It's a goalkeeper jersey. I kind of like this. I really, I give this a dripping. I enjoy this. I wish. You tripping, bro. No, no, no, no, no. I wish, I wish these brands would get creative, not only in the goalkeeper jerseys. They break out a little bit of that creativity for other national teams that aren't South Korea that aren't Nigeria. Break out the good stuff as well for the Americans. I don't mind this one bit at all. The 94 jerseys, the denim jerseys, people thought they were ugly back then.

43:19They're iconic now. Of course. All right, all right, fine. But that'd be ugly. No, no. Can I, can I say, I'm right there with you. I love it. Go Chris! Go Chris! I would buy this right now. Let's go! That'd be ugly. Right now. You know who else? Alexis Nunes, because the group chat was on fire. Producer Beto says it's not for him. Producer Beto, put Espiro on that and it's Patrick. No, I... It's Patrick. I absolutely love it. This is so fashion forward and still a nod to the 90s and that denim jersey that you said. Speaking of running it, let's take it from what we saw these days. Absolutely nuts.

43:58Fashion, sweetie. Look it up. All right. Ricardo Pepe scoring his I'm not taking fashion from you guys. I don't want to tell you that much. I think you should. All right. How about some goals here from Ricardo Pepi-Herk? I like how patient he is. You understand who has the ball. He waits. He's very patient and a strong near post finish. Goalkeeper's going to probably want that back. It looked like it was a five hole. Not much he could do there. Yeah. Well taken. If he were wearing a big star on his chest, he would stop it. And the speedo. And the speedo. The speedo would have stopped it. That's true.

44:26All right. How about this, Ale, from Josh Sargent? Ends a 16-game scoreless drought with this one. Oh, boy, Joe Sargent. He's hitting up at the right time. Come on, Ale. That's your kind of range. That's a great goal. It is. It does very well to get in front of the defender. That's tough. That's really tough to get. No, no, no. The thing is, I don't think he's taking himself out of the running. And so he's going to have to go on a 16-game scoring streak in order to get himself back into the running. All right. Keeping his feet on the ground. Weston McKinney though getting his first assist here in the loss in Napoli.

45:04Yeah I'll take an assist like that just pass it to somebody. Right. That's a concept of the assist. Yeah but it's not like you're setting him up for the goal like this is a well taken goal by Yildiz. All right. You know yeah but it's a good play by Weston. Tough angle. He'll take it. Yeah. All right how about Brandon Aronson came off the bench. Made a difference. Got an assist Ale. At an impact. It's always good when you come off the bench and your team comes back in the moment that you come onto the field. Again, we call this an assist. Right. I mean, yes. This is an assist. Yes, yes. He meant to be dangerous.

45:41That was his idea all along. Again, it looks good for you as a player when you come on the field and your team is able to come back and get a result. All right. I want to remind you what's coming up this week. our Women's Champions League slate starting tomorrow. Juventus-Simpleton, Real Madrid-Wolzburg, Wednesday, Barcelona, Benfica and Atlético de Madrid versus Bayern Munich on ESPN Deportes and on the ESPN app. You know, if there's one thing that Mo Salah has had, regardless of what he's done on the field, is he's had class off the field. This is the absolute opposite. What you can't do if you play for any football club, especially Liverpool football club, is go after the club.

46:28Liverpool have backed the truck up for Mo Salah and emptied millions into his bank account. And for him to say yesterday, I've earned my place in the table, that's history. What Arne Slott and Liverpool are looking for is future, is performances, and he's not giving that. It's kind of forcing Liverpool down one road and one road only and that's out. You know there's an old saying in the game, you're only as good as your last game. Well unfortunately for Mohamed, his last game wasn't good, the one before it wasn't good, the one before it was worse, the one before that was even worse, you know he's taking no responsibility.

47:07The entitlement to come out and basically just throw everybody under the bus because little Mo's not getting his game time is a shocker. That dressing room is going through enough turmoil. He's blaming them basically. He's taking no responsibility for his poor performances. It seems unfathomable to think of a club legend like Mo Salah leaving without saying goodbye properly to the Liverpool fans. I think he's gone. Footballers don't get the chance to write their ending. I mean, it's been a dramatic week, to say the very least, for Mohamed Salah. And Liverpool, after post-game reactions from a yet-again bench, Salah claimed the club was quote throwing him under the bus.

47:48Salah was left off the squad for the Reds Champions League match against Inter Milan this week. So did not even make the trip. Let's listen to what Mohamed Salah said after that game and from Arnazlat today. I'm very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club. Everybody can see that during the years and especially last season. sitting on the bench. I don't know why. Seems like a club is throwing me under the bus. That's how I feel it.

48:20I think it's very clear that someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me in the summer for a lot of promises and nothing so far. I'm on the bench three games. So I can say that they keep the promise. I said that many times before I had a good relationship with the manager and out of the sudden we don't have any relationship. I don't know why. It seems to me how I see it, it's someone who doesn't want me in a club. But again, this club I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much. And I will always do. Now I'm having, I called my mum yesterday because I knew, you guys didn't know that I'm going to start or not, but I knew.

49:04I called my mum and that day yesterday I told them come to a Frighton game. It doesn't matter if I play or not, I'm going to enjoy it. We'll see what's going to happen, but in my head I'm going to enjoy that game if I play or not, if I'm on the bench or not, because I don't know what's going to happen now. So I'm just going to be in Anfield, say goodbye to the fans, going to Africa Cup, because I don't know what's going to happen when I'm there. What do you do with the situation now, Mohamed? It's not acceptable for me to be fair. I don't know why that's happening. I don't get it. I think if I'm somewhere else, every club will protect his players.

49:38I don't know why I'm in that situation now. But again, how I see it now, it's like you throw him under the bus because he's a problem in the team now. But I don't think I'm the problem. I have done so much for this club with the respect I want to get. And I don't have to go every day fighting for my position because I earn it. People will say, I'm not bigger than anyone. I'm just, I earn my position. This is fun. So, it is what it is. When you say that about the Brighton game, you mean that possibly it could be a last game you could see in January perhaps? Yeah, you probably never know, but I don't accept the situation for the player.

50:17Usually I'm calm and polite, but that doesn't mean I'm weak. So, if a player says, has these commands about so many things, then it's about me, us as a club to react and we reacted in a way you can see now that he's not here. Do you feel that your relationship has broken down? No, that's not the way I feel, but he has the right to feel how he feels things. I haven't felt that at all till Saturday evening for sure. The most thoughts I had are about tomorrow and in the meantime we've decided what I just said, not to take him with us to this game and after tomorrow we will look at the situation again.

51:01I'm a firm believer that there's always a possibility to return for a player.

51:10Drama, drama, drama. What we've seen from Liverpool, Mohamed Salah. Interesting how Salah also handled that situation. But Ale, with what you've seen these days, to you, has Salah already played his last game for Liverpool? Well, I think he feels like he has played his last game for Liverpool. and the most concerning part, well, there are many things that Mohamed Salah said there that you don't say as a player. However frustrated you may be, you don't take that out into the public. You have those conversations, those same conversations that he had with the media there, have it with Arnest Zlat.

51:49I feel like you're throwing me under the bus. I feel like I'm being the one that is singled out in a team that has had underperformances from many other players, and yet I'm the one who's sitting on the bench and others are still out there. Why is that? You can have that conversation with a manager, but don't have it with the media because all of this then becomes what it has become. And when he says those things to the media, he knows. He knows what he's doing. It's not like, oh, it was a moment of passion and I just blurted out what I wanted to say. No, no, no. There's this thought behind this.

52:23And he hung around long enough to continue to talk and talk and talk and continue to say these things. But again, the most damning thing for me, if I were the manager, would be, he said, I don't have to fight for my place. I've earned it. I don't have to fight for my place every day. And that is 100 % wrong. Wrong. He's not a tenured professor. Yeah. Well, no. And every day you're out there on the field, while you may have seniority, while you may have a longer leash, while you may have equity above others, it doesn't mean that you can just stop performing and that your place will always be yours.

53:10No. There's only a very short handful of players that have achieved that sort of level. And Mohamed Salah is not one of those guys. Lionel Messi is one of those guys. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of those guys. Mohamed Salah, no. Especially with a team that has so many expectations coming into the season and then they've had the year that they've had. And this is when you need your marquee players to actually get the group to rally around each other, to create togetherness, to bring everybody together because it's the only way that you get yourself out of the struggles that Liverpool have had. Instead, he has chosen to go on his own, by himself, and trying to divide the group, and trying to divide the club, and divide the fan base, because he is thinking about himself, first and foremost, and not about Liverpool.

54:05Does he really think that doing this makes this team better, and makes this situation better, and forces Arnazal to play him? He said he was thrown under the bus, right? Those are his words. Now he's not even on the bus or anywhere near the bus. It's amazing because it's a very opportunistic comment to make given the situation. Leeds come back and they tie in the dying minutes of this game. And he's upset he doesn't play. It's a game where they're up 2-0 in the 50th minute. You're not looking to add more offensive players. And then by circumstance, it's Leeds that comes back and scores two by the 75th minute.

54:47And you're thinking, okay, maybe you throw him on. A few minutes later, guess what? Liverpool scores again, and it's 3-2. So Arnest Slott's saying, I can't put in a guy right now that doesn't help me defensively. I need to close this game out. And yes, they score on a set piece in the 96-minute. It happens. It's been happening a lot more to Liverpool. But he chose this exact moment to, as Ali said, go rogue and take an opportunistic hit that I don't know if divide the team would be the assessment I would use. I think a direct attack on Arnest Slott. I want him gone. How can I hurt him the way he's hurt me?

55:21Because he feels slighted. And in doing so, he thinks it's Arne Salah who's going to be the bad guy. He's coming out looking bad. His legacy is being tarnished. I don't see how you come back from this if you're Mohamed Salah. I don't see how Liverpool's hand isn't forced. They took him. You mentioned off that bus. He's not going to the next game. Yeah. Okay. right there that shows us that a team like Liverpool had the goal to do something that a team like Real Madrid couldn't do and we saw we see the situation now at Real Madrid we see the Vinny Jr situation after the outburst in Barcelona and what that's caused and how it's caused the manager to go downhill with the team they are backing the manager here they're doing the right thing those who are involved in any team setting will tell you this is not the way to go about saying you've been slighted.

56:13If you really think you've been slighted, talk to the coaches, Ali said. But if not, you keep your mouth shut and you work. This is forced, the team's hand. So has he played his last game for Liverpool? I think he's gone in January. I don't know if it's the last game, but I think he's gone in January. If that is the case then for Mohamed Salah, are we looking Saudi, MLS, possibilities, Ali? For me, I think it's a direct path to Saudi and the reason I say that it's twofold. The market just speaks for itself. Two, and just as important, while Liverpool want to get this headache over with, they also want to make the most out of this headache.

57:04I would assume that the biggest offer would come from Saudi Arabia. and that they would, they, like me, see the potential of the market and a reference point in the Arab world like Mohamed Salah is, and you kind of go, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. No, no, no, we're not going to allow that guy to go to MLS. No, no, no, no, no, no. Buddy, it's right here for you, and we'll make the offer that we need to make. And Liverpool will be more than happy to accept that offer because it would probably be the sort of offer that would blow MLS out of the water. I don't think MLS is even in this conversation, to be honest with you.

57:43This is about Saudi Arabia and how much they're willing to put forth for Mohamed Salah. I think Liverpool would want for there to be others so that the market then would dictate what the price is for Mohamed Salah. I believe it was 2023. There was an offer from a club from Saudi Arabia. It was around like£140 million for him. Major League Soccer was in play before he re-signed with Liverpool. But that's as a free agent. That's when you're just paying the player his salary. That's when you're just trying to get him here. Now that there's going to be that type of price tag, I would assume, given everything Ali has just stated, an Arab superstar in Saudi Arabia, you're probably going to see some crazy numbers nearing, if not more, that 140 million pound offer.

58:29That's not something Major League Soccer is going to compete with. They're in it if it's a free transfer. They can pay the player. They're not going to pay the club and then pay the player. It would have been nice. Chicago Fire, one of the teams actively pursuing him before he re-signed with, according to The Athletic, before he re-signed with Liverpool. But that ship is sailed. There's no way they are paying a transfer fee and then paying the player as well. I don't think MLS are in play for this. This is about the Sotterly and Liverpool want that number to go as high as possible because they also want to make something out of this.

59:04They don't just want it to be, oh, well, let's get rid of them. No, no, no. We'll get rid of them. if the price is right. What amazes me is I feel like I never hear from Mohamed Salah until it's about him. Until he wants something. I hardly heard anything about Mohamed Salah and then he wants a new contract. And that's the only time we see Mohamed Salah talk about the team. And him helping the team. And he gets his 400 a week and now he's not happy because what, he hasn't played 300 of the minutes this season? He's got like almost 1200 minutes to the team's 1 ,500 that they participated in, and he's not happy.

59:40The team's not winning. Salah, for as bad as Salah has been and he's made mistakes, he's got to try something to change the team. He's got to try different players. He's got to try different attackers. He's got to move pieces. And if your number isn't called on that day, you're in no position to sit there with the way you've been playing and saying, I want my kick too. A lot has changed for Mohamed Salah since that standout 2018 season that we saw alongside the names like Roberto Firmino and of course with what we saw with Sadio Mane at the time. A lot has changed for Liverpool. A lot has changed for Mohamed Salah.

1:00:13It would be very sad if this is how that story and the chapter ends between Mohamed Salah and the Reds. But a lot more to break down on the Gab and Juul show available on ESPN's PodCenter and Apple Podcasts. There's only that Gab.

1:00:34All right, because we have to talk about it. Oh, yeah. Because it's my job. Let's take it to the Liga IMAX semifinals. This is the later game. Second leg, though. Tigres said, hey, we're home. Can we just concentrate on Ginyan's slight touch right there outside the foot? Oh, my God, it's sexy. It's so good. And Bruneta just finished. Look at this touch. Delicate touch right there. Oh, my goodness. And Bruneta finishes it off. Beautiful. Now that is an assist. Let's take it to the 68th minute. Gabriel Fernandez in the box going down. on it he can't defend that kicks to the back of the player and yeah he doesn't have to explain it I'll tell you it's a penalty yep it's a penalty but not been out thin I come on now come on now wait come on now wait no way did he save it or was it hit right to him all right let's take it to the 97th minute though.

1:01:33No. An own goal. Cruz Azul tying it up. It's Juan Purata X. Atlanta United facing his own goal. What happened? Well, that's not enough. Well, clearly. It's not enough is what I'm saying. If you're confused with that one, one, it's because Thierry has finished better in the regular season. All right, let's take it to the game before. Yes. Guess something was going on Toluca Monterrey following a corner. Elinho crosses in Federico Pereira with a 1-0. Ale? It's all about the service, really. This ball is begging to be put into the back of the net. He does well in getting on top of the ball, keeping it under the bar.

1:02:10Good finish, 1-0. 43rd minute. It was all about Toluca. Yeah, Castro with an excellent ball through, and this is just a ridiculous finish. He goes at it. Look, he's onside. Good touch. Goes at it with the outside of the left foot. side netting Paulinho the goal score. It would be a great idea to defend, but anyway. Toluca again. El infierno, and the heat was on. It was a penalty here. What is Rica Chavez doing? Yeah, that's a really great question. He's already going down. Really great question. Which is bad enough. Elinho. Yeah. Elinho, el lado. It's 3-0. Let's go home. This shouldn't be a game anymore.

1:02:51Why are you yelling? This shouldn't be a game anymore, Ale. I was yelling at the TV. All right, calm down. I wish. Did you have money on this or something? What do you think I just play, Ale? A lot's been made out of this penalty. Okay, follow. Answer my question. Did you have money on this game? No, it's just a rayado. Look at this. Look at this, please. What? What about it? He's shutting the team up. He's shushing the crowd. Okay, 74th minute. Sergio Ramos, come on. Yep, coming back, Roberto de la Rosa. Luca still leading at 3-2. Berta Rama off the post. De la Rosa rebound in. He just made it exciting.

1:03:27For literally nothing. No, but it got exciting. Not enough. It got exciting. Yeah, it got exciting. I know that. Toluca Tigres there for the Apertura title. Then Toluca looking to win consecutive Liga MX titles for the second time in franchise history. Why is Chris angry? Tigres and Toluca, because I'm a huge Rayados fan. They will face off in the Liga MX final. I understand that. First time in the short tournament era since 1996. I didn't know you were a Rayados fan. Burke didn't even wait 24 hours. Rayados has won one trophy in the last 31 editions. But they've spent so much money. So, you know, they got Sergio Ramos.

1:04:03They got the European contingent, Anthony Marshall there as well. So she's like, hey, this is finally our year. I'm right here. You can talk to me about it. To be fair, I asked the question. I didn't know that you were a Rayados fan. I am. You didn't know she was a Rayados fan? No, I don't go around people asking them who they support. He has more important things to have to worry about. All right. So the top two seats facing each other here for the final. Dignos finalistas. This is the final. Más que dignos. Yeah. And you could probably back me up on this claim. I would say the two most difficult places to play, both El Volcan, La Bomonera, difficult settings.

1:04:45And there are two teams that this postseason have shown you that they are one team away and another team at home. And a very dominant team at home is Toluca. A very dominant team at home is Tigres. This is going to be a great fight between these two teams, and it really is who takes advantage of being the home team that takes us away. Listen, I like Toluca. I like Antonio Mohamed, the way they play. I think they have the edge, yes. Are you picking Toluca? No. Okay, well, then you go. The edge is like kind of leaning over here, but I'm not sure. You know what? Alexis Vega is injured. who knows if he's going to play and what he's going to be like if he plays, but he changes the complexion of this team for me.

1:05:25He's a playmaker. Yeah, it would have been a much less exciting game against Monterrey. But I see the way they let Monterrey back into that game, and if they let Tigres into a game like that, they're not winning. Nope. Home or away, they are not winning. I thought Monterrey had no business after 3-0 being in that game, and yet they were. They gave them opportunity after opportunity at home, and you can't do that with Tigres with the playmakers they have. If you believe in the esoteric. Sorry, what? Esoteric. That's the energy. That's an SAT word. Esoteric. I've got to write that one down. Okay.

1:05:58SAT word. I thought you were going to keep up Hercules. No, no, no. If you believe in vibes and energies and things that are beyond our understanding, karma, for example. Yeah, yeah. Paulinho, who did not take the penalty at the end of the regular season because he was injured. That's right. And he looked for what was best for the team, not the best for himself. Now they find themselves in a final. Yeah, yeah. It's good karma with Toluca. If you believe in karma, this guy, unlike Mohamed Salah, was thinking about the team, the collective, the group ahead of himself. I'm going to go support Paulinho and Toluca to win this whole thing.

1:06:37Oh, yes. What? I love it. I believe in good karma. I believe in you, Ale. I want to know who Chris thinks he's going to win this season. You believe in the esoteric. Objectively?

1:06:56Alexis Vega not being there could be really detrimental. Toluca wins this. They pull even with Chivas in titles. Tigres wins this. They pull even with Cruz Azul in titles. This is... And these are two teams who are very used to being in this place. Not only in Liguilla. They know how to play those games very well. But, of course, the final. Here's someone who won't be back next season. We saw him score this week. We saw him try to silence the crowd here. Sergio Ramos saying, I made it clear last week. Obviously, yes, this was my last match. This is what he said right after the match was over. But when it comes to his tenure in Monterrey, Herc, would you consider it a success or a failure?

1:07:41year it's a commercial success right but you're a rayados fan you're not looking for commercial success you're looking for success on the field and from that standpoint from a tactical standpoint it was an utter failure he was a glorified center forward he was a goal score uh eight goals he scored in his time with rayados but that's not they brought him there they brought him there to to steady the ship they brought him there to be a defensive unit they brought him there to lead this team and oftentimes he wasn't leading this team in the way that i would have thought he would have let him. His age showed.

1:08:12The first half, two of those goals, directly on Sergio Ramos. He's a player that his best years have maybe been beyond him and maybe the level he thought Liga MX would be for him at the place with the expectations wasn't measured correctly. I label this as a sporting failure but a commercial success. Sergio Ramos was done two years ago. And then you make this choice, and the guy making this choice, actually, a colleague, and I consider him a personal friend in Tato Noriega, in bringing Sergio Ramos. And from his perspective, you kind of go, all right, well, commercially speaking, it brings a whole lot of attention to Monterrey.

1:08:59It creates a different type of interest because of what Sergio Ramos has represented and the historic player that he was at Real Madrid. but he was done when he was at Sevilla. This is even prior to being at Monterrey. Yeah. You take this sort of... And at PSG, too. Yeah, well, you take that sort of risk. And it's not, honestly, I think a guy like Tato Noriega is smart enough to recognize that there were going to be moments in which he was going to be exposed defensively. but it's a risk he was willing to take because you don't say no to Sergio Ramos. I think it's about that time where Sergio Ramos is kind of, he understands that the door is wide open and the chapter has come to an end and it wasn't a successful chapter.

1:09:48Did you see the face that Chris made when I called him a glorified center forward? Yes, because that was one of the more frustrating things in the last games of the season is that he was so obsessed. And ever since he arrived at Monterrey, choosing that number 93, it was clear what his mission was to be the goal scorer, which he never was. I understand that he came up in such important moments, but it was so clear and obvious the times that he would leave his defensive responsibilities because he was obsessed with being that goal scorer that he never was in his career. He was always a fantastic center back.

1:10:22And I've said it time and time again, ever since Jose Maria Vazan that left this team, that defense has been so disorganized. That was my hope. We talked about it when this was announced, when he was coming to Monterrey, I said, I hope that what he does, and I say this purely and transparently as a fan, is that I hope that organization that we once had so many years ago in Monterrey can finally come back here with Sergio Ramos. But again, the attention was just completely, completely lost on him. So let's go back to Tato Noriega and what this means now. Again, I don't know if I want to say falling short because of the investment.

1:10:58You should not only make the final, but you should be winning titles time and time again. But this is a team that is obsessed with bringing in names, which, by the way, don't bring in another goalie. Mochis Cardenas is perfect for this team, and he's worked so hard to get in this position. I digress. Is Tato in the hot seat, Ale, after this one? I think he was in the hot seat going back to last season. I think that the seat has been hot for a while.

1:11:27Like I said, I have a very good relationship with Tato, and he was one of my closest friends when he was here at ESPN. but it's difficult to see what this team is expected to be and what they have been. And at moments, you look at them and you go, yeah, this is a team that should be competing at the top of Liga MX. But you find yourself having the same conversations over and over and over again. It's like they should. We think they may. They're gonna. But they don't. And that, I think, is damning. And, you know, you've changed managers. you've changed coaches, you've changed players. And so then you start looking around and going, all right, well, if we've changed all of these people, then where else do we look for something different?

1:12:20And I won't go any further than that. All I would say that Tatu is as committed and as professional as somebody can be. And we don't know what is his world around, what is the world around him in Monterrey and what the expectations are from the ownership and what the expectations are from the people. around him. But there are some sporting decisions that have been made for this team that did not make sense. And Sergio Ramos is at the forefront of that. As I said, he was done two years ago. And the thing that bothered me the most about the Sergio Ramos performances in Liga MX and watching him play is that he was doing things that he would never have done at Real Madrid.

1:13:01Which then tells me that he's like, yeah, here I can do whatever I want. There I didn't do it. But because here I can do whatever I want and they're letting me do whatever I want, then I'll just go ahead and do it, even though it's to the detriment of the team, the organization of the team, the defensive structure of the team. And that, I think, is a problem. Tato Noriega, the fan base, the media that revolves around Monterrey, the investment, what makes the pressure greater for all of this is the fact that through all this investment, crazy investment, with Ocampos, Oliver Torres, Canales, Sergio Ramos, crazy investment, Dominic Torent, the neighbor, your rival, keeps on winning.

1:13:50Tigres keeps on winning. Which they've made investments too. Correct, but those web investments have paid off. And that makes, and you will not let me lie, that makes the pressure on this team, pressure for Rayados, mount even greater. 100%. It goes beyond who wins the Clásico Reggio during the regular season. It's that pressure, again, from a very, very close neighbor there in Monterrey. We do, well, before we get to that, we're going to run it back with Raúl Jiménez. I was getting ahead of myself, but Raúl Jiménez had quite the performance as well this weekend. We'll get to that play right now.

1:14:24There we go. There he is. Raúl Jiménez. What a touch. Is that an assist though? Yeah, that's a great assist. It's an assist, but it's about the goal. Yeah. This is a basic give and go. Let's not get crazy, people. Let's not get crazy. That's a good assist facilitator. It's a nice give and go, but let's not. Somehow we're making this about Raúl. It's good. Well, it is this show. But anyway, Ahora o Nunca is available on YouTube at Ahora o Nunca ESPN. At least there was no Ansu Fati. At least there was what? No Ansu Fati. Oh, come on. We do want to remind you, we will be back on Thursday after the first leg of the Liga MX Finals.

1:15:15So we will see you there, Ale, Erk. I may go to the game. No, no. You go to the game? I'm on vacation. You're on vacation. I'm on vacation. I might go to the game. Part-timer over here. Some of us are true professionals. Well, go to the game. Yeah, yeah. Good environment. I'll be here on Thursday. Are you going to be on Thursday? No. No, no, no. You're here on Thursday? Okay. Food Americas is on me, baby. I'm not on vacation. On me. These people, not committed. See you next time. I'm going to Mexico.

1:15:53I'm going to Mexico.