In short
Football America discusses Lionel Messi’s emotional post after his father’s death, Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup elimination vs León, and “Americans on the move” transfer rumors/news involving U.S. players in Europe. It also covers other Leagues Cup matches and a separate segment on goalkeeper mistakes (“Shakastrophic”).
Guests (hosts)
Gab Marcotti (football analyst/commentator). Herrick Gomez (football writer/analyst). Shaka Heslop (former goalkeeper/analyst). Mauricio Pedrosa (host/MC). No other guests are named in the transcript.
Key claims
- Messi’s father’s death explains Messi’s emotional burden and possibly his lack of sharpness; Messi is still “human,” not superhuman.
- Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup exit is framed as a business/tournament failure for MLS because Messi is central to the competition, even though injuries/suspensions affected Inter Miami.
- Inter Miami should not rely on Messi as the default solution late in games.
Notable examples
- Messi returning from Argentina, starting on the bench, coming on vs León; Inter Miami loses 3-2 and is eliminated.
- Tottenham talks for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun (reported €60m); Crystal Palace finalizing Xavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake for $15m with sell-on clauses.
- Discussion of potential Porto loan for Santi Jiménez from AC Milan.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOTribute to Messi's Father
1:45 to 2:16
Discussion on Messi's heartfelt message to his late father.
“It's a very special edition for the very first time ever.”
Reflecting on Messi's Legacy
2:16 to 4:30
Analyzing the impact of Messi's loss and future in football.
“we'll discuss, but we will get things started with Inter Miami, specifically with Lionel Messi.”
Messi's Human Side
4:30 to 8:00
Exploring Messi's vulnerability and emotions during tough times.
“The next generation won't fully understand it.”
Messi's Performance Analysis
8:00 to 13:19
In-depth analysis of Messi's return to play and recent game highlights.
“and sometimes I'm not sure, Eric, if we value that when we speak about the greatness of these players.”
Inter Miami's Disappointment in Leagues Cup
14:00 to 15:02
Discusses Inter Miami's unexpected exit from the Leagues Cup and the impact of Messi's absence.
“The game was crazy just three minutes later.”
The Context of Messi's Performance
15:02 to 18:01
Examines the circumstances around Messi's performance and the implications for Inter Miami's future.
“Very active, Lionel Messi in the 45-minute second half that he played.”
Lessons from Life Without Messi
18:01 to 21:09
Explores what Inter Miami can learn from relying too heavily on Messi and the need for a backup strategy.
“Of course, this is Inter Miami and from a business angle, this is a monumental failure, this is a miss for the tournament, for MLS.”
Orlando City vs. Atletico de San Luis
21:09 to 21:45
Recaps the match between Orlando City and Atletico de San Luis, highlighting key moments and players.
“You cannot depend strictly on Lionel Messi saving the day.”
Monterrey vs. Nashville Review
21:45 to 23:52
Analyzes the match between Monterrey and Nashville, including pivotal plays and player performances.
“Big decision for them to make, but he's scoring some goals.”
Chivas vs. Seattle Showdown
23:52 to 25:55
Details the exciting clash between Chivas and Seattle, focusing on goals and critical plays.
“Luisito Rey, Chivas player left foot second half it's all tied to one.”
Show all 25 chapters
USMNT Transfer News: Balogun's Potential Move
26:33 to 28:00
Discusses the potential transfer of USMNT forward Folarin Balogun to Tottenham and its implications.
“Buy five quarts of Syntec full synthetic motor oil and get a free micro guard select oil filter.”
Balogun's Potential Move to Spurs
28:00 to 31:28
Discussing the implications and potential outcomes of Balogun's move to Tottenham Hotspur.
“You're going to be in an important competition.”
Xavier Gozo's Transfer to Crystal Palace
31:28 to 36:21
Analyzing Crystal Palace's acquisition of Xavier Gozo and its significance for his development.
“and to start off slow and finally explode and explode during the World Cup year, you would have expected a bigger suitor because there were reports of a PSG.”
Youth Player Market Insights
36:21 to 42:01
Exploring the valuation of young players in the transfer market and the implications for their careers.
“Real Salt Lake would retain a 20 % and a 25 % return in the event of a future deal with another club.”
Evaluating Gilberto Mora's Value
42:01 to 43:59
Discussion on Gilberto Mora's potential transfer value and development opportunities.
“He's not going to be sold for$15 million.”
Evaluating Gilberto Mora's Value
44:05 to 45:09
Discussion on Gilberto Mora's potential transfer value and development opportunities.
“The one that makes buying so incredibly easy?”
Santi Jimenez's Career Prospects
45:52 to 53:00
In-depth analysis of Santi Jimenez's potential loan to Porto and career trajectory.
“Missed 25 games with injury with AC Milan last season.”
Introducing Shaq Astroffin
54:38 to 56:00
Launch of a new segment featuring goalkeeper errors in football.
“Zacastrophic, Deluxe, Royale, with cheese and queso.”
Referee Controversy in the Game
56:00 to 57:28
A discussion on the referee's positioning and decision-making during a crucial moment in a match.
“They're trying to crucify my man, Abuel.”
Introduction to Chris Turner's Segment
57:28 to 57:44
The hosts introduce Chris Turner and his participation in Fanatics Fest.
“Well, the only way to follow up your own segment is having our buddy Chris Turner.”
Chris Turner at Fanatics Fest
57:44 to 1:00:12
Chris Turner showcases collectibles and raps about famous athletes at the Fanatics Fest.
“I'm here at the Bleaker Trading booth with owner Matt Winkle-Reed.”
Challenge of Rap Skills
1:00:12 to 1:00:46
Hosts discuss the rap skills displayed by Chris Turner and suggest a friendly challenge.
“I just could not believe he did not rhyme Portugal with goal.”
Drippin' or Trippin': MLS Adidas Collection
1:00:46 to 1:02:51
A detailed discussion on the new MLS Adidas Archive Collection uniforms and their designs.
“This is Eric's favorite segment, Drippin' or Trippin'.”
Favorites in the New Collection
1:02:51 to 1:04:09
Hosts share their favorite uniforms from the MLS collection and discuss their designs.
“That's why I never thought that was going to be your pick.”
Favorites in the New Collection
1:04:26 to 1:05:00
Hosts share their favorite uniforms from the MLS collection and discuss their designs.
“So, La Liga kicks off this weekend, but Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, they will start the league a little later than that.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Gab Marcotti here for Gusto. Anyone who follows football knows that final product is only part of the story. You see the match, the result, the big moments, but behind that, there's the planning and administrative work that still has to be handled properly. Small businesses are no different. Payroll, tax filings, onboarding, benefits, it all matters and it can take time away from the work you actually want to be doing. That's why there's Gusto. 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 Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget And it's all built to save you time with built-in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docs, direct deposit, and more.
1:03Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. No hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash football and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash football. One more time, gusto.com slash football.
1:35Welcome to the latest edition of Football America right here on ESPN alongside Herrick Gomez, Shaka Heslop. I am Mauricio Pedrosa. Welcome, gentlemen. It's a very special edition for the very first time ever. Chaka Strophic will air on Football America. Why are you laughing? Are you nervous? It's monumental. That's a nervous laugh. No, it's not. It's monumental. It's monumental. Remember what you've done today. And also a couple of U.S. stars making the move to the Premier League we'll discuss, but we will get things started with Inter Miami, specifically with Lionel Messi. As we know, his dad passed away and Messi shared this heartfelt message to his dad on social media.
2:31Messi wrote a very, very thoughtful, a very deep emotional message to his dad. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how to go on. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about weather. I'll keep doing it for much longer. And this is clearly a very emotional moment for Messi, his family. But we all knew about the connection, Messi and his dad, how special it was. But honestly, I was not expecting Messi posting this very, very personal letter to his dad. And he points to maybe considering his future in the sport. What do you make of it, Herk? I think it's natural when we talk about losing a loved one, when we talk about thinking about your own mortality, what's important in your life, how much time you have.
3:29You start questioning maybe things that you're doing and how much longer you can keep doing them for. Maybe you question why you were doing them even to begin with. It's clear that he doesn't put pen and paper, in this case the post, if it's not weighing on him. And the fact that it even entered his orbit, that universe, brings many of us to the realization that Messi's not going to be forever. And that if he continues to play till the end of this season, two more years, or till next World Cup, it's a very personal decision that you have to respect. And you just have to go out there and appreciate and enjoy him while you can.
4:10Because the way that my father spoke about Pele, speaks about Pele, spoke about Maradona. I can't fully grasp it because I didn't watch it. One day that's the way we are going to talk about Lionel Messi. The rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo. How epic that was. The next generation won't fully understand it. We will and we have to appreciate it because it's coming to an end. It wouldn't be the first time that a star player, and nobody is the star that Lionel Messi is, But when something like this happens and puts in perspective not only your personal life, but in this case, his professional career, I don't know, Shaq, the way it hid you in terms of how Messi let us in that moment and questioning his future in the sport because his dad is no longer a part of his life.
5:14Now, first of all, let me just say Lionel Messi has earned the right to walk away from this game whenever he chooses. He could leave in the middle of a game if he so decides, and nobody should question that. The thing that hit me most about this post, about Lionel Messi's reaction, is at times we see Lionel Messi as a player. We see things he does on the pitch with the ball and we assign almost a superhuman quality to him, to his talents. Then you see messages like this and you recognize the human behind it all. That we are still as for all the praise we throw on the El Messi's feet, justifiably so, he is still somebody's son.
6:02he is we've spoken about his attachment to his father and the role that his father played in the early days of his own career um and to see it dare I say come full circle um reminds us that we are talking about a human being at the same time and for us as for all the praise that we heap on Lionel's feet you almost feel like you're happy that his father got to witness this much as much of it as he did the best years of his footballing career given the role that he played my greatest takeaway is Lionel Messi is human after all the other thing that hit me hard if I'm being very honest, is to Shaq's point, we see these players and we think they're super humans.
7:03They are immune to everything. Nothing can really hurt them because we see them on the field and players like Messi, nothing can stop them, right? And we were wondering, 39 years of age, he's won it all. He's dominated the sport. He will be remembered by many as the greatest to ever do it. Why is he still doing it? Sometimes we wonder, right? Why is he still, what motivates him to still play the sport? The moment when he shares that, he learned that his dad was in critical condition right before the start of the World Cup, and it became his mission to extend Argentina's presence in the World Cup as long as possible, not for the sake of winning it, but just so that his dad would have another chance to see him play live.
8:01That really brought me to tears when I first read that, because that reminded me, as you said, this is exactly why he keeps doing it, because it matters to him, yes, but it matters to the people that believed in him since he was a young kid. and sometimes I'm not sure, Eric, if we value that when we speak about the greatness of these players. Not just the greatness of a player. The person. Yeah, you don't need to have a player like Lionel Messi to realize that sometimes people don't value other people and in this world we live in today where one feels they are anonymous because of this thing right here, the cell phone, you know, little tablet.
8:47but you get in there and you type whatever you want and you think you put it out into the world and it doesn't hit somebody. You think it doesn't matter if I say something negative about this person because that's why he's there. That's why he gets the millions of dollars. That's why he has all these, he should be immune to it. And you realize this is a person. And Lionel Messi, to Shaq's point and to your point, he's looking to extend the run of Argentina and hope that his father gets well enough to go see him. And I'm putting myself in Messi's head for a second, the rationale behind I can help him.
9:24I can give him something to fight for. And I can't presume to think or even start of where his head was during a World Cup. But you can see the emotion he played with in that World Cup. And one would say, well, it's because it's Argentina and that's the way they live the game. No, there's something there. there's something there you can see Messi when he comes back into this game there's also something not there you know when you play this game and we spoke about it before Mal oftentimes footballers they play through the worst of moments in their personal life because it's an escape it's the only time that I'm in somewhere and I can get away and I don't think about anything I'm just in the game it's just me the ball my teammates I'm in the game I'm not thinking about my problems I'm not thinking about my love life.
10:13I'm not thinking about anything. It's just the game. And when he comes back and he plays against Leone, he comes in the second half, just it didn't feel like the messy. Maybe it's the setting. Maybe it's the fatigue, the jet lag, and maybe it's the somber moment of laying your father to rest and coming here and you got to play Leagues Cup in a midweek and it just doesn't feel right. But you can see that it just wasn't quite messy sometimes people just you know they don't realize that your heroes are people as well i i just want to say i think um moments like this are reminders and if i can offer some kind of defense to people like us who sit around desks and even those who sit behind devices um a lot of times these footballers are very one-dimensional beings to us we see them with a shirt on that matches 10 other shirts on the park.
11:11We judge them by what happens over the course of 90 minutes and then we do it all again next weekend or whenever it is. And moments like this are reminders that not just Lionel Messi, every single player, there is a story. Whether it's you woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, what things that may be going on in your personal life with your father or your parents or your kids or your spouse, whatever it may be, that all have an impact on the 90 minutes of their lives in that day that we get to share. And we are asked, we are paid to make judgments on that without knowing a lot of that back story.
11:53At the same time, though, not knowing that back story, I also think it's fine. as a player, I welcome the opportunity to step on a football field and leave what was happening in my personal life behind. Just separate the two. I have played games when I have had children in the hospital and it was a welcome distraction from that reality. So there's this kind of co-mingling of how we see them, how they allow us to see them and a need for that separation for both us and for them. But when these moments hit like this, with a player like Lionel Messi that is as visible as he is to everybody, it's a reminder that all these players are so multidimensional in ways that we cannot imagine, though we are asked to comment on just one.
12:52Listen, just very quickly before we move on, this is the way we've been trained since we were kids. You know, and after my professional career, it's brought me lots of problems in the real world because that's not the way the real world works. But we are trained to check your problems at the door. Don't bring them onto the field. You know, as a forward, you're trained. This cannot bother you. You have to concentrate on what's coming next. And sometimes in the real world, that's not what happens. Let's take a look at those League Scope highlights. Lionel Messi returning from his trip to Argentina to honor his dad, starting the game on the bench.
13:28Inter Miami facing Leon. Inter Miami had a really tough time, even trying to qualify for the next round. They needed to win a little bit more than that, but it all started well for Inter Miami here. It's a good ball across my front, and it's a good finish. He's going to get his Pinter, Daniel Pinter, is going to get another start, and he's going to get another goal, the young man. Messi will come on for the second half. 50th minute Daniel Arcila all by himself on an island and equalizes the game Shaq it's a really nice finish draws defender to him let's square ball let run across your body and it's just a comfortable pass into the back of the net quick response by Inter Miami after a second touch inside the box is Janique Bright Miami leaning again that's a very good finish by Janique Bright he doesn't get a lot of goals but what a golazo campanita crossbar and in.
14:20The game was crazy just three minutes later. Take a look at the move by Didier Cambino and a really good save by Rocco Novo. It's a great cutback by Cambino. He thinks he's from the back of the net. Novo has other ideas. Juan Dominguez. Fence it. Four post. It's all tied, Herc. Yeah but this comes off a silly giveaway way by Inter Miami across the face of their own goal and then what do you know and then this right here I mean maybe a shot of an offside they're gonna check it but no and Leon who would have said Leon will advance to the next round and Inter Miami are out three to two final score in Miami there will be another chance for Inter Lionel Messi with a chance and it would be saved.
15:12Very active, Lionel Messi in the 45-minute second half that he played. Picks up the rebound, but just doesn't catch as he would have liked. All right, so it's three to final. That means that Inter-Miami are out in this new format. Best four teams by each league advance to the round of eight. Should we consider this a disappointment by Inter-Miami, all things considered without their best player before half of the tournament. Circumstances are important in what we do. There is context, but the fans, Major League Soccer, won't care about that context. If I may, very quickly, you saw at the end of this game, the players rushing to Lionel Messi for his jersey.
15:55It's like, you know, we spoke about this a couple times already in League's Cup and MLS play. Just stop. Messi doesn't want this. Messi doesn't want you sprinting up to him and asking him for his jersey after any type of regular game. He just lost his father. And one thing he wants to do is get off the field. And you've got players running up to him worried about a jersey or a picture. It's just, I don't know, it's one of these things that you need to be smarter at. Is it a failure? I think it's a massive failure. It's not a failure for Inter Miami. It's not their fault that they were missing their best center back.
16:27He got injured in this game, that they're missing Luis Suarez because he's serving six-game suspension for spinning on somebody last season. and it's not their fault that Tadeo Allende is on crutches, that Bertrami is injured. I can keep going down a laundry list of players that aren't there. Lionel Messi had to lay his father to rest, comes on in the second half. He's obviously jet-lagged, physically not there. Maybe mentally his head's not in that moment. There is context to all this going on, but it's a failure. It's a failure not for Inter-Miami, but it's a failure for Major League Soccer because in the relevance of selling Leagues Cup going forward At the heart of everything has to be Lionel Messi.
17:08Major League Soccer, Liga Américas, League's Cup, all have to be desperate to have Messi in this final. Comnebol wants Messi in a Copa Libertadores. The World Cup, yes, everybody wants Messi to go as far as he can. Why? Because he sells. And because he sells, which is why it's a failure. It's not a failure on Messi's part. It's not a failure on Inter Miami's part. It's a failure that they're not there because that's what these people want. League's Cup and MLS. We saw the heat map and the stats. Five shots, three on goal, four chances created. I mean, Messi did his best. Yeah, he was not in the best form, shape possible physically and mentally.
17:48But in the end, Shaq, there are expectations on Inter Miami to be a team that at least makes it past the next round, even without the best Lionel Messi available. Of course, this is Inter Miami and from a business angle, this is a monumental failure, this is a miss for the tournament, for MLS. But to Higgs' point, there's context around this, but even that does not really kind of satisfy the loss and the business loss for the tournament. Listen, Lionel Messi, I'll keep saying he's the best player of a generation at the very least. Continues to impact games in a way that nobody else still does, particularly here on this side of the Atlantic.
18:40Him missing or him having to carry the emotional burden that he did and not being his best self, even at 39 years old, is a tall ask. And while he did his best, Inter Miami did their best, given the cards they had available to them, obviously coming up one short, but it will always be and continue to be seen as a disappointment, as a failure on Inter Miami's part. The very first time we saw Lionel Messi wearing Inter Miami's jersey was during the inaugural edition with this format of League's Cup. They won it all. They won that tournament. They made the final. A walk-off free kick? Correct. Against Cruz Azul.
19:17They made a final last season. Once Inter Miami is in there, when they're competing, the tournament becomes relevant. Now, thinking big picture here, with all the things in the context regarding and surrounding Inter Miami, could there be a positive in saying, okay, we're out of this, regroup, let's have our players try to be healthy again, let's give Lionel Messi his space to attack the second part, more than that of Major League Soccer in the best way possible? I mean, sure. You could make an argument that even with all the limitations that they have, the players that I just mentioned that are missing, the players that got injured, they just had to hold on for a draw and maybe win the penalty kick shooter against Monterrey, but they blew it at the end in the last seconds without Lionel Messi.
20:05Just hold down the floor until Messi gets back and maybe that puts you in a different headspace, maybe that's a different mentality, maybe this game goes a different way, you don't know. that said, I think if Oyoz, the head coach of Inter-Miami, can get something from this is you can't always depend on Messi and you have to have a different way of playing. It's the final minute of the game and you're down a goal. It's three to two. There's five minutes that they've given a lot of time. It's already minute 95 something. Put the ball into the box on a corner kick. They wait until Messi looks up, until Messi decides you either put it in or you give it to me.
20:44Messi says, give it to me. And they give him a short play so he can play the ball across the face on the other side so he can get in from there and look for a cross. There's got to be a different way instead of always depending on Messi. I understand it's very difficult to do when you've got the best player who's ever played the game. But you saw what life without Messi was like. There also needs to be, not even a plan B, just a different way of doing things when Messi isn't there to help you. He's 39 years of age. You cannot depend strictly on Lionel Messi saving the day. More League Cup action.
21:16Orlando City hosting, my dear, Atletico de San Luis. Atletico de San Luis gifted Antoine Griezmann with a kit so that he remembered his time at Atletico de Madrid. But the game started really well for Daryl Dike. Shaq, Orlando leading after 30. It's falling off so the keeper spills it from a close-inch header. Easy finish. Justin Ellis doubles the lead for the host, Herc. Yeah, good U20 player, plenty of upside. Uruguayan passport as well, American passport. Big decision for them to make, but he's scoring some goals. It looked bad for San Luis, but at the 79th minute, Sebastián Pérez Buquet gets one back for San Luis with some time left.
21:58So there was a chance. Again, falling in. I'm not sure why defenders don't get to that first ball, but is he tapping on the rebound? Greenville has a shot. Take it, take it. No. He's giving it to the referee? But then what happened? Nobody knew what Griezmann was trying to do. This is already out of time. 97 minutes. And here's the long cross. David Rodriguez again, Herc. In entry time. In for Isis for El Atlético de San Luigi. You know what this reminds me of? There was a play DC United a lot of years back where Wayne Rooney faced him down. Just put the ball in, Griezmann. We would go to penalty kicks and sadly Aldo Cruz will miss one.
22:44That means... That was a save. That wasn't a miss. It was a good save. Any penalty miss is a miss. That was a great save, Mal. Adrian Maril, it's the extra for Orlando. Let's look at San Luis eliminated. Yes. Monterrey playing Nashville. Speaking of eliminated teams, Nashville is out of it. First minute but they're leading Monterrey here. What's going on? Kwasam, you tell me what's going on. Look at this. Honey Mukhtar with a great ball across and a good finish 1-0. And again, Honey Mukhtar hits the crossbar. Just hits us with a little too much pace. Can't see nobody top of the wall. He thinks it's in.
23:23He's peeling away. Hips the crossbar. That's the MVP right there. 35th minute. Horrible defending by Rayados de Monterrey. What is that? Baker Whitting says, thank you very much and it's to nothing but but but is it a handball and it's ruled out for a handball so it's still one else second half first minute great save by the keeper and then a missed opportunity yeah rosie and valdez was great here yeah that's a team jack 51st minute finally the equalizer orbelin pineda back with a mexican side the keeper could have done a little more nice finish had to go high in it jordan knight almost runs into a teammate but misses wide no no he ran into him he actually blocked his jaw and again ocampos to kipers kipers is scoring for rayados work yeah kuiper is uh ex chicago fire product he could be helping them out with scoring goals for them now scoring goals for monterrey yeah it's two to one monterrey still alive you know who's not alive either seattle nor chivas but they would face each other in seattle 12th minute and seattle is leading herk yeah that knows yeah it's a good ball across and he doesn't really know too much about it kind of just reacts puts it in he's a yard off there don't go 60 minutes so three minutes after the first goal de rosario but his shot he's saved just too close to the keeper pretty straight keeper stays on his feet makes a save with his legs camberos back with chivas after being the mvp of the conca calf u20 good save by stephan high yeah seattle has been horrid in the last eight games but Stefan Fry has been very very good.
25:19Luisito Rey, Chivas player left foot second half it's all tied to one. To the crowd keeper doesn't see it coming. Frye baiting. And in the 71st minute another player who saw action with the under 20 good pass Santiago Sandoval. Chivas leading game. Yeah, great ball in, but good goal. All right, this is the way it stands. Leon, Toluca, America, Cruz Azul seems to be advancing on the Mexico side. Columbus Crew, Real Salt Lake, LAFC, and Austin will represent Major League Soccer in the round of fate. Shohei Otani's interpreter was fired today. Ipe Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation.
26:11The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball. He was absolutely bananas the amount of bets he was making. I've never seen him like it. From 30 for 30 podcasts, this is The Betrayal of Shohei Otani. Presented by Gusto. New episodes available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. O 'Reilly Auto Parts gets you back to savings. Buy five quarts of Syntec full synthetic motor oil and get a free micro guard select oil filter. Limits apply. Save 20 % on a micro guard or micro guard select engine air filter when purchased with this Syntec special.
26:51All right. So Americans on the move. Tottenham Hotspur are entering talks for United States forward Fuller in Balogun. A deal could be worth 60 million euros, according to L 'Equipe. There has been interest in the 25-year-old throughout the summer with English and Spanish clubs closely monitoring his situation. He's done well with Monaco in France. Three good seasons for Follard in Balagon, and we saw three goals during the World Cup. That's obviously another way to improve your value in the market. is it now the time to make the jump from France to the Premier League, Kirk? What part of the Premier League?
27:33Because the Premier League is not created equal. You could say Spurs is a big club. Sure, it's a big club. There's not going to be any Champions League for Spurs. This is a team that was fighting relegation despite what the Europa League may have looked like or part of their Champions League campaign may have looked like. You'd be going for the money and the allure of the Premier League when I think there may be more out there for you. Monaco is going to be in Champions League. You're going to be in an important competition. You're going to be in a league where you play against PSG, where it's not as demanding as the Premier League, but I think that in six months from now, if not a year from now, you're still going to have the same opportunity, have the same type of platform, if not a bigger team.
28:16I just don't see the allure of Spurs besides the money form. If we're talking about leveling up, I don't think Spurs is going to have that jump in level that many feel I'd say I'm a little more sold on Spurs than Hokus, I think Spurs under De Zerbe will have a promising season and while Hokus are absolutely right, no Champions League football, a team that has been battling relegation last two seasons but I think they'll be significantly better and the Premier League offers you a platform like no other. It's a league that I want to say he knows because he came through the academy at Arsenal, just across North London, a couple of appearances for them at the highest level before going and finding his feet in French football.
29:07Balogun is now 25 years old. And I just feel that to make that move, even to a lesser Premier League club, you go to Spurs, you do well, regardless of what happens, where they finish. You do well at Spurs, That opens the eyes, that opens opportunities for a number of other clubs, certainly within the Premier League, again, a league and a country that he knows so well. I know Mauricio Pochettino, the way he sees his following Balagun, when we were discussing on Monday players who had their spots secured in the starting 11 for the upcoming international break. And as we said before, the number nine position used to be a struggle, right?
29:46There was no one who could claim that as their own. It feels like it's Balagons to lose right now. Jose moves to the Premier League. Gives him away any advantage over the other number nines in the pool. He could stay there. He can go to the Saudi Pro League. He can come back to MLS. He's going to be the ninth for Mauricio Pochettino. You know, I thought you were going to go different with that question. I thought you were going to ask me if you... The Pochettino connection? Yeah, I thought you were going to ask me if Pochettino's nudging him or maybe advising him, I should say, on the Tottenham Hotspur move.
30:25If that's a good move for his career, I'd have to imagine Pochettino would say it's a great move for his career. And if the coach is telling you, the national team coach is telling you it's a good move for your career, you listen. Regardless of what you think, you listen. Different levels, but Juergen Klinsmann, same thing. Advise me on where he thought I should go. one listens. This is your national team coach talking. This is the boss man. So if Mauricio Pochettino, for whatever reason, is in the ear of Foller and Balogun, maybe that is Spurs is signing to lose. There's a lot of things that make sense in terms of the culture, in terms of the platform, in terms of the setup, in terms of the city.
31:09He happens to have a home in London. I believe he is neighbors to Mauricio Pochettino in London. So there are a lot of things that he would feel very, very good about if he were to sign for Spurs. It just, and maybe there are some fans out there who are in the same boat as I. It feels for this player after a$40 million move to Monaco and to start off slow and finally explode and explode during the World Cup year, you would have expected a bigger suitor because there were reports of a PSG. Now, I'm not saying he'd go in and be the starting nine, but if there's reports of a PSG and Luis Enrique looks at you in that manner, it starts opening your eyes and saying, oh, who else is looking at him in this manner?
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31:54So, maybe it's I thought there would be something bigger. There's always also the question is at Monaco, he is the guy. He is a starter at that position. Translate that to Tottenham Hotspur right now. He could compete easily to be the number nine. There's no other player that you would go, it's really going to be hard to take minutes away from this player. I think he will be the starter at Spurs if he does go there. When you look at Spurs, who they have on their books, I think everybody being fit, all things being equal. Dominic Solanke would be the starting number nine for Spurs. I think Balogun is a better player.
32:36I don't think Solanke has done enough in a spirit shirt, even when fit, to suggest that he is better than Flo Balogun. If I'm Flo Balogun, I think I'm going in there to start, especially, again, given that link with Dezerbi, who'd been coaching in French football and would have seen Balogun, particularly over the last couple of years, up close. I take that job. If I am thinking Premier League and where Balogun sits, where Balogun finds a home, I think there are only two clubs that come to mind. I don't think he goes to one of the big boys. For me, it comes down to Spurs. The other probable landing spot would be on Aston Villa, given the fact that Oli Watkins, who at 30 years old, granted five years older than Balogun, has been linked with a move away.
33:27Manchester United a couple of weeks ago, So that's kind of been an every summer discussion you have around Olly Watkins. Now, if Olly Watkins moves on, then there is a huge hole there for Flo Baligan to fit. With a manager like Unai Emery, that ticks an awful lot of boxes. But outside of those two, I'm not sure where is a good landing spot for Baligan if we're talking previous. Villa's got the 17-year-old kid, Brian Maggi, who is an absolute tank. Different player, different profile, but certainly... Homegrown. Excuse me? Homegrown. Well, Mets player. But, you know, you can see the upside of a 17-year-old already doing things at that level to a player who's 25, and you've already got him on the books.
34:15You lose Morgan Rodgers, you have Ali Watkins. You've got a plethora of players that are injured, not available to you at this moment. You could certainly do worse, but I agree with you. Being in that type of setup with that type of coach could do wonders. If he stays at Monaco, is it bad news? I don't think so. I don't think it's bad news. It's... Unfortunately for Foller and Balogun, he's a victim of his own success. It puts him in a different dollar amount. And when you're in that different dollar amount, not too many teams that can come in for you. Monaco's just going to let you go because you want to go.
34:53There needs to be a heavy hitter. They bought him for 40. What are they going to look for? You'd have to assume 55, 60, around there. Not too many teams are going to come in and pay that. I think Balogun's stock is highest right now. Yes. Another year at Monaco, while I will always advocate for playing, for starting, for getting minutes, everybody expects PSG to run away with the French League again. Even if Luis Enrique decides to make changes and play his starters half the time, they'll run away with the league. And that maybe discounts performances in Ligue 1 as a result. No international football next year.
35:39international football, well, major international football for a couple of years. Right now, given the tournament he just had here for the U.S. in 2026, I think his stock is highest, regardless of how it ended up in that final game against Belgium. Yeah, that transfer still in the works, still a lot of details to be resolved to make Follett in Balogun a Tottenham player. The deal that is happening, if it's not done already, Xavier Gozo with Crystal Palace. Palace are finalizing the transfer deal as ESPN source confirmed. Palace are set to pay RSL$15 million to acquire his contract. Real Salt Lake would retain a 20 % and a 25 % return in the event of a future deal with another club.
36:3119 years of age, less than 50 games in Major League Soccer, huge talent, massive talent. Is he ready for the Premier League? What makes me feel very good about this isn't just the price tag. It isn't just the platform of the Premier League. It's where in the Premier League he is going. He's going to Crystal Palace, which is a proof of concept club. A massive team in terms of scouting, a massive team in terms of fighting gems and giving them that platform, exploiting and exploding them onto bigger and better. Esse from QPR at 22. Michael Olisse from Reading at 19. And you put these players in that environment because you think they're good players and they blossom and on to the next.
37:21One goes to Arsenal, the other one goes to Bayern Munich. And you think about where he's going to be playing. He's a right back or right winger I should say for Raul Salt Lake. He's a player that can play anywhere on the field He's got a good physical presence He's got a good family nucleus. He's got physical traits that you don't see in a 19 year old He's got flair. He's got technical ability. I don't know where he will play I've heard contrast reports that they see him as a forward as a 10 As a right wing back, he's played very well if he does play in a right wing back system, that's what they play, Crystal Palace.
37:59He'll play there. Glasner played it. Pierre Sage is going to come in now. He's going to play the same way. You got Daniel Munoz, Colombian, who's very good. Very good player. But there's already talks about him in Manchester United. There's been talks about him in other clubs. Minguesa has come in from Celta de Vigo. Different type of player. Different type of player. But if that's your competition in a team that's going to average about 55, 60-plus games a year, I think Goso is going to get some time. I think this is the right platform for him. It's the setting here that gets me excited. $15 million plus the 25 % return for Roussau Lake.
38:35This is an enormous piece of business for Roussau Lake in Major League Soccer. Oli Glasner is no longer there. One of the reasons why exactly every good player was on the move the moment they displayed something interesting. But that's the way Crystal Palace handled their business. Pierre Sash, runner-up in the French League, same system, same type, same model. When you see a player like this fitting into a team like this, the way he plays, is this the perfect fit for a player like Xavier? Absolutely, yes. I think Christian Price is a selling club. We know that. But to do that, you have to get players young, get them early, develop those players and sell them on.
39:19and any number of clubs in the Premier League who are doing that to very good effect right now, Crystal Palace have done that. I will also say that, me being from Toronto, Crystal Palace have a young right back in Rio Cardenas, who they've just sent out to London to Bristol City. So these are options for young talents. If you aren't getting straight into the first team, Crystal Palace are willing to let you go to smaller clubs, maybe a league or two down, to get minutes to develop until you are ready to feature. Crystal Palace, do not spend, do not bring in money, or do not spend money on players like this.
39:57Do not bring in players like this if they don't have long-term plans for them. So I am excited for this move for Gozo. It may not pay dividends right now. It may not pay them this season. But long-term, I think it will prove to be the right club at the right time. Just one more thing. something I forgot that is massive is he's got Chris Richards as a mentor, somebody to take him under his wing to show him the ropes, a fellow American. And if I were to say anybody on the national team, okay, I get one pick, you know, it'd be a very close battle between Chris Richards and Tyler Adams of who I would want, you know, to hang around, to show me the ropes in European football.
40:40Even if it's a different team, Tyra Adams is just around the corner playing for Bortman. So you create that kind of community, that kind of connection that for a young player, again, 19 years of age, very limited experience playing at the MLS highest levels. It's always a safety net when you have someone like that to put you under his arm, to advise you, to make you feel comfortable in a super tough, demanding environment like the Premier League. Somebody who understands the ups and downs of playing European football. Somebody who understands the media and how to manage it and what you read into things that may be said or happened.
41:20I think that is invaluable. Having somebody that close to you to kind of hold your hand through some of those ups and downs that come with playing in a new league, playing at a higher level, with learning the game. I think that, again, that works in Gozo's favour. Just thought of this. If Gozo, 15 million, 19 years of age, what's the value of someone like Gilberto Mora for the European market? So I spoke up Just very quickly, I spoke about this With Follerman Balogun He's a victim of his own success And that dollar amount sets him on certain places But we already know Gilberto Mora, his agent, Rafael Pimienta Erling Holland's agent, has stated that 15 million isn't worth one of Gilberto Mora's legs So you're saying, okay, here's a player who's got Maybe 10 games with the Mexican National team, had a Decent World Cup, albeit he's 17 years old, so it makes you do a double take.
42:23What's he going to be worth? He's not going to be sold for$15 million. So there are places where you can go to develop and your price tag helps you. The Eredivisie would absolutely help a player, a young player. He's not going to go to the Eredivisie because he's not going to be able to afford him. So you'll be a victim of your own success, and where you do go, it's not, as Shaq said, somebody's going to hold your hand and show you the ropes and teams like Crystal Palace is going to loan you here because they under... No, no, that's not going to be the case. We just paid how much for you? Let's get on the field.
42:55Different level, but that's what happened to Diego Linus. They paid a lot of money for him. The wrong situation. And now he's back playing with Tigres. More action from American players in England. Brendan Aronson does it again. Playing a friendly against Manchester United. Started the game, played 45 minutes and hurt. Scored this one. equalizer he's never had a problem scoring goals he's been a productive player it's for him his confidence because when he's confident he's as good as they come very good finish he scored four in the premier league last season five assists and is looking in good shape during pre-season with leeds united the action starts officially on sunday arsenal and manchester city face for the FA Community Shield Sunday 10 a.m.
43:48Eastern Time coverage begins at 9.30 on ESPN Plus, ESPN2 to catch the game on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. If you've shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple shop pay button you see at checkout? The one that makes buying so incredibly easy? That's Shopify. And there's a reason and so many businesses sell with it. Because Shopify makes it incredibly easy to start and run your business. Shopify is the commerce platform behind 10 % of all e-commerce in the U.S., from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. Shopify gives you a leg up with hundreds of beautiful, ready-to-go templates to express your brand style and forget about the code.
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45:50All right, Santi Jimenez scored just the one goal in all comps. Missed 25 games with injury with AC Milan last season. Santi might be on his way out. Porto is pushing for a one-season loan. Santi has agreed to personal terms with Porto. Now clubs must reach an agreement. Porto's manager, Francesco Farioli, was with Ajax when Santi Jimenez was having this really good run at Fajanod. But after everything he's been through in the last couple of years, the move to AC Milan never paid off. He's been hurt, didn't score, made the World Cup roster, played some minutes, got hurt again. Is this the kind of move, Shaq, that can relaunch Santi's career?
46:40Absolutely. I would advocate for Santi Jimenez to leave Serie A entirely at this point. Find a new look. Find a new league to compete in. Find your level. Find your confidence. Or re-find your confidence. I think this is a good move for him. He will also give him Porto and where they finish in Portugal. Champions League football, opportunities there to play at a level and consistently. Santi Jimenez, we know he's a good footballer. We just have not seen it for the last couple of years. I think this is as good an opportunity for him as he could hope for. I think the numbers speak for themselves regarding the success or lack of for Santi Jimenez with AC Milan.
47:26Health has been an issue in his career, and he's still hurt, nursing that ankle injury that he suffered in the game against England. But we've spoken here so many times about how the Portuguese league provides a different platform, different opportunity for a player like Santi Jimenez to feel himself again. You're not that sold. You're not that convinced. It's a lateral move at best. Oh, or even a downgrade. Well, no, the only reason it's not a downgrade is because you have Champions League football. If you play. But it's a ladder move just in general. Listen, there are very few settings like an AC Milan when it comes to the sporting brand.
48:09When it comes to the platform. It's one of the winningest teams in European footballing history. But we're talking about its history, not its presence. Porto is a team where the Portuguese league is no better than Serie A. you're going lateral at best but you're going to have champions league and if you were to convince me that this move and playing is playing and you need santi jimenez to play but when you talk about the trajectory that you'd hope for a young superstar because that's how many people in concaf had santi jimenez of how the trajectory should go this feels like a step back you don't Milan, Porto, Real Madrid.
48:52That's not the way it usually works. So it feels like you're already, well, all right, we got to bring the level down for Santi Jimenez because he wasn't what we thought he would be. Is it what he needs? Yes. Yes. And that's what I'm getting to. But it's what he needs because he's probably not the player we thought he would be. He's not going to be the Hugo Sanchez. He's not even going to be the Chicharito Hernandez or anything in between. He's going to have to be some variation of that and hope come close to anything Raul Jimenez could do. I was going to go to Raul, but Raul is a player that I think it's unfair to compare somebody to because of what he went through.
49:35His trajectory was cut short by injury, by an unfortunate incident. Santi Jimenez's trajectory hasn't been cut short by injury. It's been cut short by inconsistency. So he's not the forward that we thought he would be. So maybe Porto is the ideal setting because that's the level that he should be at. Okay, the way I see a parallel with Raul Jimenez, when he made the jump from América to Atlético de Madrid, it was too much for him. He was never going to succeed or find consistency with Atlético de Madrid. Then he makes the move to Portugal and plays with Benfica and plays well. Never was top scorer of the league, but he started playing consistently.
50:16And that allowed him to make the jump to the Premier League, play it with Wolves, and then we all know what happened with Raul Jimenez, even though he stayed there, played with Fulham. But what I'm saying is that there might be a parallel for Santi Jimenez. Go and play in Portugal, start playing consistently, and if you do well, and if you're lucky enough, you can make a jump to another club to extend your career in Europe. I totally agree. And to Hirk's point, I think a lateral move is the absolute best Santiago Menezes could hope for. So the move to Porto, I think, would prove to be a good one, prove to be as good as he could get.
50:59The other thing with Portugal, as a league, not as defensive as Syria, so it offers him more opportunities. At the same time, nowhere near as open as the Eredivisie. So it shows you have to be a smarter forward to get goals in Portugal than you have to be in the Eredivisie. He needs that opportunity where he does get opportunities to get goals in a way that he was not afforded in Italy. So I think this is the perfect medium for Santi Jimenez to take full advantage of. And then, as I mentioned, European football is just the icing on the cake for him. You perform well in the league. It puts you at a certain level.
51:45You somehow translate that into goals in the Champions League in parallel with that. Now, all of a sudden, I think, again, you're having a different conversation about Santi Manez and what that next move is. Now, that next move may not be a Real Madrid or a Barcelona or a Manchester City or Arsenal. But it could be one of the smaller Premier League clubs. It could be back to Italy or Germany or somewhere of the sort. I hope it happens because the other option was apparently coming back and play Liga MX with Tigres. Really don't think that happens. And there was also talks about Lazio with Gennaro Gattuso.
52:22Last season, Roman Gasperini was a realistic option. I think that would have been great. That would have been much better. Gasperini creates cañonetes, goal scoring, you know. As long as he's not bad with Tigres. As long as he's not with Tigres. I'm totally okay with that. Julian Quiñones is back at it. Saudi least-top goalscorer last season. Starts the season the way he finished. He scores first goal of current season with Al-Qarish. By the way, Tijani Reinders, new club. But that's it. That's what he does for Julian Quiñones. Is this preseason or actual season? No, no, no. This was the first goal of the season.
53:04Why aren't there any people there? Because they're on vacation. What do I know? They're people. They're people. That's Julián Quiñones, Mexico's best player during the World Cup. Angel City playing Washington Spirit. Women's Sports Sundays on ESPN Sunday. 9 p.m. Eastern. Yes, on ESPN and also on ESPN Deportes.
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54:47It is an honor for the first time ever in the long history, over 500 episodes of Football Americas, to air for the first time the very popular segment on different shows. And it's called Shaq Astroffin for the first time ever. For everybody who's going to experience this for the first time, Shaq, what can they expect from Shaq Astroffin? Well, it's a really simple formula. Goalkeeper mistakes. They just pick on goalies for no reason. We're burying the lead here. Look at that hairdo. It's not changing at all, Shaq. What's the secret here? I'm jealous. I'm so jealous. All right. Hang on. Here we go.
55:30We have a few candidates and we'll be in store with even lower from FC Cincinnati. What happened here, Zach? Let me guess. It's a goalkeeper error. Yeah. That is a goalkeeper error. This is a poor error in actual fact. Ball coming all along the floor straight. Actually, you can't cough that one up. Oh, no. Our boy Evan coughed that one up, too. Let me see. I'm a little bit more sympathetic with this one. going back across the body gets kind of trapped inside. Chuck, I need your expertise here. They're trying to crucify my man, Abuel. He doesn't see the referee. He shoves the ref. That's a red bar.
56:11What shoves the ref? If you're going to take a free kick there, why is the referee on top of you? I'm with you, sir. What's the referee doing there? That's what I'm saying. Chuck, you know you cannot touch the ref. He doesn't know that's a ref. Oh, come on. I think it's just I think the ref is in his peripheral vision Isn't quite sure I'll go back to my original point Why is the referee Standing on top of the free kick Because he just called the foul You know what the worst thing is He can call and point all the way from He can stand on the other end of the pitch Now you're going to question the ref For being close to the play No he can't be on top of the play That referee is a World Cup semi-finalist referee Conca Caps, Ferreone, Ivan Barton.
56:58So he's all fancy. So he's just sending everybody off the floor. That's what it is. Herc is upset because it's his buddy, Nahuel Guzman. It is my buddy, Nahuel Guzman. It is my team, Tigres. But I'm with Shaq. The referee doesn't need to be that close to the ball. What does he think is going to happen? They're trying to win the game. It's dying minutes of the game. Excuse me. High game. You met Chris Turner during the World Cup. Yes, I sure did. Yeah. Thoughts on him? Outstanding. Outstanding. Outstanding. We had him live in studio. Yeah. Outstanding. Well, the only way to follow up your own segment is having our buddy Chris Turner.
57:34He was at the Fanatics Festival event in New York. And let's just see what he was up to over there. Let's check it out. It's me, Chris Turner at Fanatics Fest. I'm here at the Bleaker Trading booth with owner Matt Winkle-Reed. Hey, Matt. Hey, how are you? I'm very well. Total value right here is probably around$50 ,000 to$65 ,000. I'm going to let you tell me which ones to rap about. We're going to rap about all of these. Off the dome. You hold one up. I'll start rapping about it. You'll notice I'm not touching these. I'm too scared. They're worth too much money. This is what we're doing. Yes, cool.
58:07I got the rhymes. Plenty for free. My guy is jumping all the time. That'd be 23. You see him soaring. My B-ball, Michael Jordan. Chicago Bulls, yeah. You know he scores them so many things. That's the honk with the dunk. You see him get the two anyway. Who'd a thunk? Now you're plunking it down. Yeah, we're gonna test me's, God bless me It'd be Lionel Messi, check it out Get close while we looky You see him from the fringe, you can tell that's the rookie Cardi got the FC Barcelona, what you do? You got the red and then you got the blue And we got two, we got the pair But this is in the air Kobe Bryant, my gosh, the nice shave hair You can check it out Yeah, I might spot this I believe on the top it says sketches and swatches I don't really know what the definition is But the basketball goal, that's the whole profession It's no question about all of that.
58:55Of course, yeah, we tell those. Matt's like, rap about Ronaldo. I thought you all loved the Portugal. He's getting number seven and he poor in a storm. He can run still even though he's in his 40s. Behaves perfectly, never that naughty. Loudly in Saudi, getting the dough. Portugal couldn't progress World Cup though. But Messi still, maybe he could win the race. I don't know when it comes to goats. Who's first place? What's next? Of course, yeah, good spot, man. We got this number three, Trinity Rodman I said three like Trinity, of course we can tell She's got the dreads going so blonde all as well That be saying mint, I know I'm glad that you hold You got the Donruss FIFA with the optic gold above the barcode I know that we like you, Trinity You got the real stomach of a striker, now the last one Who'd have thought of that?
59:43You brought it back, we have Messi But this one's got the autograph What is the number you never want to hate? Don't wait, out of 25, he got the number 8 Add two for the number on his shirt. You'll be holding it tight like we know what this is worth. Well, there we go. That's the rap skills on display. And I would wager this is about maybe 15K.
1:00:05How about that? Honestly. How about that? To see the magic happen live, it is incredible. I love how he's holding his own. He's okay. He's okay? He's no Clint Dempsey. I sense a challenge. Wow. I sense a challenge, Herb. You and Cristina. No, no, no. I want to bring Clint Dempsey. That's just one complaint. I just could not believe he did not rhyme Portugal with goal. Speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo. It was right there. It was right there. Mau, you should challenge him. We know what's up. You and who. We know what's up. Good stuff by our buddy. Can he do it in Spanish? It would be great to have him.
1:00:45No. No? All right. In Espanol. No. This is Eric's favorite segment, Drippin' or Trippin'. This is the MLS Adidas Archive Collection. We're going to pick the ones that we like the most. I love this one from Austin. We also have Chicago. It's a really, really, really cool line, Eric. What do you think? The Austin one is a cool uniform, but hashtag verde. It's got nothing to do. It looks more like an old-school Fiorentina jersey back in the day when Batisuta played. Look at Mueller. I like these a lot. My favorite. Wait, wait, hold on. We're about to go to our favorite. The big reveal? This is the entire collection.
1:01:27Awesome. Vancouver looks like very Colorado-like, you know? Like an old-school retro Colorado one. Yeah, I like the color in the one. Vancouver's nice. Pretty nice. The Houston one looks like a regular Houston jersey that they put out before. It is. It's in Leganas. They're like zero creativity. We're about to pick our favorite, starting with you, Shaq. Real Salt Lake. Listen, first of all, red and black together for me will always be absolutely fantastic. Why? Because of the color of a Toronto bagel flag. And then the touch for me is the mountain scape to emulate everything in Colorado. I thought that was a really brilliant touch to it.
1:02:10Take a bow, Real Salt Lake. Yep. I don't mind it. That's a good call. I don't mind it. I happen to really enjoy the Chicago one. It's got like an old school, yeah. A lot of you guys may not have been around for the NASL, but the Vancouver Whitecaps used to play back then and they had something very similar. The Chicago, you get the color scheme that they already have in their own flag of Chicago. I really enjoy it down the stomach or chest that they have right there, just bold Chicago. It looks very iconic if you will. Blanco, azul, rojo, blue, red, white. I'm in it. You being a little more...
1:02:47All right, that's... It's a clean jersey. That's a white shirt with Chicago. It's a very clean one. That's why I never thought that was going to be your pick. What, you picked Austin? I picked Austin. That's mine. You took it. I love the purple. I think it's beautiful. The font in Austin feels... It has a very old-school vibe that's fun. and, you know, the logo, the colors. I think it's very, very original. I think it doesn't feel like anything. It's bold, right? We've seen from us bold. Yes. Very, very, very bold. It's a pretty cool collection. More and more I'm realizing I am the style guru of Football America.
1:03:29You think so? These two have no taste. Wow. What are you talking? I'm convinced. Okay. Wow. Well, where do we start, Mr. Old Style for the show? No. We also like a sword better than everybody else's. Vancouver is second. Yeah. Neither of you picked that. Who's the red one that says Lions is Orlando, huh? Yep. I regret not giving Vancouver a little more love. No, that's probably the ugliest one. No. I think Philly is the ugliest one. Vancouver? No. Houston's zero originality. Okay. Montreal, that's a good one. More fashion advice. Remember to catch all the very well-dressed guys and girls on ESPN FC.
1:04:18You can catch the show daily on ESPN+.
1:04:26So, La Liga kicks off this weekend, but Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, they will start the league a little later than that. So on Monday, we will have a huge La Liga preview right here on Fútbol Américas. For now, that's the show. Thank you for watching. We'll see you Monday. Already, huh?
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From the publisher
Futbol Americas is late to react to the slate of Leagues Cup matches, including Inter Miami crashing out. Messi made an appearance shortly after his father's passing. A few USMNT players are getting close to movies. This includes current star Folarin Balogun and potential star Zavier Gozo. It's a first on Futbol Americas when the Shakastrophic segment makes an appearance.
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