Futbol Americas: Poch to AC Milan? + Neymar Injury + CCC Picks + Julián Alvarez Transfer

24:00Herc Gomez:It's a big sporting event. But the U.S. Men's National League needs to do something special. So Christian Pulisic and this team can ill afford to have a misstep. Yeah, absolutely. you don't have to wake up at odd hours of the day or night to be able to watch all of these games. But when it comes to Christian Pulisic and his numbers with the U.S. Men's National Team in all competitions, Shaq, you see what he's done in 2022 and 2023 versus what we've seen from him as of late. That shot conversion, too, goes down shockingly, too. With his goals and assists, only eight goal contributions in 2024 and 2025.

24:33His last goal was November 19th in 2024 versus Jamaica. up. What's your reaction when you see these numbers of Pulisic and the national team? Quite simply concerning. And my, I don't want to say issue or the challenge for Christian Pulisic is he has become the face of this team. We sit here and I stand by everything we say. We talk about the qualities and the leadership of a Tyler Adams, of a Western McKinney, over Chris Richards, so many players we look at as natural leaders in this team. Can they take that burden away from Christian Pulisic, that burden of being a leader in terms of all the U.S.

25:18has to offer going forward? And he can just focus on his form, what he's doing for this U.N. men's national team. Because dating back to when he was a teenager, I felt he was the example he was the leader he was the face of of of of this program um given his form of late i i i would love to see him shed or be able to shed that and just focus on being that player wherever it is pochettino decides to to play him and the other leaders that we've mentioned carry that weight for him that's the only way you get the best out of christian pulisic but as looking in from the outside, I'm not sure that they can.

26:03Well, there's a bonus in that, in what you say, because I think Christian can contribute in many different ways with this national team, right? Of course, he's a forward. You expect goals from him, right? But now he comes to an environment that he enjoys. As I've mentioned, he's always played very well for the United States overall. So he's coming into the team where you have three strikers that are in form. So the burden is not just on Christian Pulisic. You had Haji Wright, Coventry, Premier League right now, scoring goals left and right. Balogun for Monaco scoring goals left and right. Ricardo Pepe scoring goals left and right.

26:37So that little bit of pressure is off, right? But he can contribute in many other ways. I mean, I even remember in Qatar, right? I mean, the assist in the first game against Wales, beautiful to Timothy Weah, right? The goal against Iran. So he's the sort of player that even if he's not scoring, he's created enough to do a lot. Now, we can always say if he doesn't score goals, oh, he hasn't scored now in 2026, even longer, right? I mean, and all of that. But I think he can contribute that. And also, I think he'll take that on, seeing the three strikers being in the right environment, good atmosphere where he feels comfortable, where everybody believes in him.

27:15Because I think Max Allegri lost faith in him, obviously, right? And this was on a team where Leao was injured, didn't play or didn't play well, right? Santi Jimenez, I know we'll get to him as well. non-existent whatsoever, Nkunku sort of, right, where he should have scored because he would have plenty of opportunities. It's not like he was, you know, fourth in line on that team. So I think that I look for Christian to take that on, knowing you have three strikers that can do it, and he'll contribute, I'm sure.

27:44Herc Gomez:Yeah, I think an important thing here to factor in is this isn't Milan, and that's a good thing. Milan was a mess. Milan was a mess. He was playing as a double nine. He was a second striker there. out of his depth. Nobody had a good year. Maybe Rabiot, Luka Modric until he got injured. And that's about it. They're grasping at straws. And they were so bad they didn't make Champions League. And in a league that they were in the fight midway through that you thought it would have been a different story. So that's a positive for Christian Pulisic that this isn't Milan and this is your team. Yeah, absolutely.

28:17Where he probably feels more in control. Milan, he also has found consistency when the team is really down, but it definitely didn't work out that way. for him you mentioned Santi Jimenez needless to say he like hasn't had the best time since his arrival in AC Milan I say that's as nicely as I've ever heard it put very very nice Christian Pulisic has problems yeah Santi Jimenez truly has zero goals in 16 games in Serie A with that single goal with Milan in all competitions we thought it was going to be all roses at least at the beginning the fans fell in love with him instantly but his numbers truly just have not backed him at all i mean with christian pulisic versus santi jimenez it seems like there's no contest here uh janus but truly with with santiago jimenez where do you see him and milan with their striker project i don't even know what to say to him i mean i forgot that he played football i mean that's that's all right but that's unfortunate because i remember the fine or where he can't See, I mean.

29:22He's been hurt a lot. I was going to get to that. You know, lack of confidence because of injuries, right? And even when not injured, things weren't going his way. You know, with Max Allegri, never easy, pragmatic managers, which we've seen because you've said it right. I mean, total collapse of Milan. I mean, they gave away the Champions League somehow in the last, what, month of the season or maybe not even.

29:45Herc Gomez:Last five home games. Right. So, I mean, you look at that situation. You look at. I mean it's almost as when you watch him when he does play that he knows he's not good enough he no matter what he does he doesn't have the rhythm he doesn't have the consistency he didn't have the belief of the manager and it's it's so difficult and and and really you know the simple of him it's so hard for me to actually say I mean I remember all of us raving when he was a final what he was doing how easily goals were coming to him but that's I you know I've never been a striker but you know they live on that right when it goes it goes in when it stops it sometimes stops forever christian's going through that this season and for santi it's just not enough to see him and when you saw him it's like yeah he he's never gonna score it's impossible oh yeah can i can i go glass half full for a second please can production pull up that that graphic of santi jimenez just one more time there's something there that when i look at it provides just a A glimmer of hope.

30:47Herc Gomez:Got shots attached to it. In that abysmal graphic. And here you're seeing it. You're going to see the goals. Underneath goals, you're going to see big chances missed. That's an incredible number. That's true. This player puts himself in some amazing opportunities. And as a forward, I was always told, don't worry about when you're not scoring goals. Worry about when you're not getting chances to score goals. That means he's got to stay fit. That means he's got to get on the field. And that means he's got to keep working. those are all things going for Santi Jimenez in his club career, where one goal can change everything.

31:27Herc Gomez:Unfortunately for Santi Jimenez, I know where you're going. The refresher that some players have had, the national team has never been his refresher. Right. It's one goal that we think about. It's the goal against Panama, excuse me, in the goal cup final. And we thought he was back. And we thought he was back. And right now, there are a lot of pundits in Mexico that when they look at the depth chart, some aren't saying, oh, he's third, fourth in depth chart. Some are saying he doesn't deserve to go to the World Cup, which I think is crazy. If he can get on the field in a World Cup, put one in.

32:06Herc Gomez:Forget the floodgates are going to open. His world is going to change. And things will change for a player that I feel has a lot left to offer. Maybe not at Milan. Maybe not in Serie A, but I don't think we should count him out the way that many have counted him out, especially for a player, as you said, Janis, who was scoring goals for fun. I know there's attacks when it comes to the Eredivisie, but he did this in Europa League. He did it in Champions League, and he did it in Serie A with Milan briefly. Roma wanted to do a straight-up trade for Dovich. It didn't happen. But if Gasperini sees something in a player like Santi Jimenez, I think it's worth exploring, worth not giving up on.

32:48I'll speak as a goalkeeper here. I love the faith that strikers show in other strikers. You know what nobody has ever said about me, goalkeeper, otherwise? Well, 10 rolled through his legs, but at least he was getting there. Nobody has ever offered me that as an out. You just need to make one save and you'll be all right. Nobody has ever offered me different positions. I get it. Life is rough as a goalkeeper. I saw that same stat, 10 big chances, and I thought, goodness me, that is confidence sapping to the point where if we're talking big chances, the crowd starts to turn. And that has an outsized impact on your confidence, on how you play the game, on how you just feel about your game.

33:36So I saw that same stat and just felt totally opposite to how Huy did. You know what worries me a little bit about him is the mentality, how strong he is mentally. Because we're talking about two Milan players. We're talking about Christian Pulisic. We're talking about Santi Jimenez, right? Yeah. Up here and in Mexico. Because Christian Pulisic, even if he doesn't start well, I think he's going to get the benefit of the doubt. People here, there's not going to be a pressure piled on him. I think in Mexico, correct me if I'm wrong, Herc, that's going to be different. Oh, I think he's already there.

34:10Right. That's what I was going to say. Already question marks. So now you're talking about a player, as you've said. He's getting those chances. I missed that, and that's a great get by him. 5.55. I mean, that's a lot of chances. And you can say, oh, that's good. He's not scoring, but that's okay. But now if this continues. I'm telling you how forward you're going to be. If this continues, compare the pressures. Christian Pulisic in the United States benefited out for a while. Yeah, but can I tell you something? Santi, I don't know how strong he is. Can I tell you something, though?

34:40Herc Gomez:Mexico crashed out of this World Cup. Nobody's going to blame Santi Jimenez. Agreed. Good point. The U.S. Men's National Team crashed out of this World Cup. That's true. All fingers will be pointed at Christian Pulisic. And that's a difference. Maybe culturally, Santi Jimenez, tomatoes thrown his way at the street, and maybe not Christian Pulisic, but you're forever going to think about Christian Pulisic as the face of this team. That's very true. He is in all of the commercials. You see him constantly as the image. All right. Let's talk about another teammate of Christian Pulisic and Santiago Jimenez.

35:15Atalanta, here at Nicolau Shira, commenting, are oriented not to trigger the option to buy to sign Yunus Musa from AC Milan on a permanent deal. So the midfielder will return to Milan at the end of the season to be sold again. All right. So the question is, Shaq, I'll start with you. Who would benefit the most from Pochettino's arrival of the three players that we just mentioned? Boy. I mean, would be an awkward reunion with Younes Moussa. I can tell you he won't.

35:46Herc Gomez:Yeah. A little awkward. A lot is dictated, but certainly in terms of Christian Pulisic and how things go this summer. If Pochettino guides the U.S. men's national team to a finish that exceeds most expectation, that does wonders for Christian Pulisic and his relationship with Pochettino if he does arrive at Milan. If it doesn't, again, to Hirk's point, if things don't go well for USMNT this summer, there are going to be two people who are going to bear the brunt of the responsibility, Khrushin Pulisic and Mauricio Pochettino. And then it just becomes on who throws who under the bus and how that relationship develops.

36:36I don't feel that Pochettino arriving has any impact on Yunus Musa or Santi Jimenez. one way or the other. It's hard to gauge who is helped by Mauricio Pochettino.

36:53Herc Gomez:Maybe none of these players. Mauricio Pochettino is now going to be in a position where he doesn't have to rely on citizenship. He can just say, no, I want to buy said player. This is the type of profile we need. Let's go out and buy said player. And maybe these three players aren't in the cards. I can tell you who is certainly not going to be helped, and that's Eunice Moussa. when players were criticized for not picking the national team this summer Christian Pulisic was the highest profile player and Marisa Pochettino spoke publicly maybe not against Christian Pulisic but about the situation and then Christian Pulisic came out and defended himself publicly with the situation Eunice Moussa stayed quiet Eunice Moussa didn't have You know, it didn't have anything crazy going on.

37:41Herc Gomez:Nothing.

37:45Herc Gomez:And Christian came back. You know, it wasn't even coming back. His last appearance was March Nations League. And at one point in time, he was playing for Atalanta. I mean, he was playing pretty well. And he still wasn't getting called up. Other players were getting called up. So maybe there's too much water under the bridge there. But I don't see this helping out You know, Moussa at all. I don't know what it would look like for Santi Jimenez, but if it is Pochettino, he's got now money to go out and look for what he wants. Santi, a little Argentine background, maybe that would help at least in the connection with Pochettino at first.

38:23Janusz? I think, I still think there's a player in there somewhere. I don't necessarily think that what's happening when you know, Moussa and Pochettino right now for many different reasons. So I think, you know, maybe Pochettino is right not to pick him after a season that he had at Atalanta. Totally different atalanta than the one that gasperini had and they were the darlings of the champions league and you know europe you know but they were in you know champions league as well so so i think it's a totally different team gasperini moving to roma and and you know that project uh you know i don't want to say collapsing but ran its course right i mean this is atalanta let's not forget you know in the normal years you know if milan inter juve are at their best we're not talking about atalanta even under Gasperini.

39:10So look, I mean, remember him at Valencia, right? I mean, there's a player in there. I mean, he was a good player in Qatar for United States national team. So I think that Pochettino would have given him a chance, would give him a look still. You know, maybe I'm optimistic. I don't look, you know, sarcastically at it. What happened here? It just happened. 26 players, two or three other ones. Could have been there. I just think a very, very tough season for him. But I can see his future in Milan, for example, depending on the coach, and see offseason now, maybe he can get his thoughts together, focus on club first, and I could see him being back with the national team.

39:55Thank you, Nizmus, I got an email.

39:57Herc Gomez:I don't think he was part of the 55. Yeah. All right, let's move on to someone who we will see, hopefully in the World Cup with the U.S. Men's National Team. It was the Conference League final. We're going to run it back because Crystal Palace won the Conference League, but Chris Richards did not play Herc. We know he's dealing with that ankle injury, but we did expect him maybe to see a few minutes from him. Am I crazy to think this is good news? No, that was my initial reaction as well. All right. Well, there you go. I think it's good news. I don't think you wanted him to play if you're a U.S.

40:32Herc Gomez:Men's National Team. If it's 50-50, as they said, you rest that ankle. Now he gets more rest. And he's a happy man there with the trophy. And we're happy to remind you about ESPN FC. It is available daily on ESPN+. If you've ever wanted real energy without choking down something that tastes like regret, Bucked Up is the answer. The flavor is the thing people keep coming back for. Insanely delicious, which is not a phrase usually associated with energy drinks, and they're built on real science-backed ingredients. Clean energy that actually works without the garbage you don't want. Bucked Up is so confident you'll love their drinks, they're giving away an island vacation just to prove it.

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42:43All right. Let's talk about Neymar Jr. Landed with the Brazilian national team with the news that he'll be out two to three weeks with a grade two calf strain. He will miss this weekend's friendly against Panama, next week's game against Egypt, and that warm-up to the World Cup, in addition to the start of the World Cup, still very doubtful, against Morocco. Here's the Brazil team doctor.

43:24a lesion muscular grau 2 na panturrilha, não apenas um edema. O atleta segue em tratamento. A nossa expectativa é que em um prazo de 2 a 3 semanas ele esteja liberado. Claro, conosco ele está em tratamento intensivo, a gente tem condição de avaliar dia a dia essa evolução, mas a expectativa a princípio é essa.

43:47Herc Gomez:O estado do Neymar foi até legal o doutor vir aqui já para não ficar com tanta pergunta em cima do Neymar, because we know the greatness of Neymar. I think the doctor already left well clear what is the evolution of his. I think we have to respect it. Of course, no one who likes to be injured, but I hope that Neymar and all the players are sane and healthy for the game, because we know that we need to be all the players. So, I think the doctor already left well clear that the evolution goes day after day and we are waiting for all the players all the players are available, like the players who are going to play the Champions League.

44:28Herc Gomez:So, all the players here are important, like Neymar. Neymar, we know that lately, I want to say lately, but it's been the last few years that he's been dealing with a lot of injuries, a lot of muscular injuries too, whether it was his hamstring starting in March 2025. November 2025, we know he dealt with that meniscus. He had a knee injury back in December of 2025. I say back in December 2025, but it was only a few months ago. And now very recently, that grade two muscle strain in his cap. And it seems like history repeating himself. And it begs the question, Shaq, as to why he was even brought in in the first place.

45:08But what was your reaction when you saw that Neymar was not only injured again, but could miss the start of the World Cup? Well, it depends on which perspective you look at this with. personally I'm not sure that Neymar brings value to this Brazil national team in a way that they need him to I don't think Neymar is playing good enough football to warrant a start if that's the case does he become a distraction on the sidelines in the within the hotel or the dressing room those are the questions only Neymar and Carlo Ancelotti can answer let's let's just let's Assume that he's fine otherwise. So if he doesn't play a huge part in this team, as I kind of expect, this is not that much of an issue in that he's there for his presence, for his leadership, for his experience.

46:01Not an issue. If he's there to play a meaningful part in the tournament, then this becomes a little bit of an issue. And while the doctor says two to three weeks, we're three weeks out, Brazil opened the tournament against Morocco, which in my opinion as we said will be the toughest of those of those three group games and there's there well we can make a lot about the number of teams in the tournament and the fact that some third place finishers are going through to the next round finishing first or second dictates a lot about who your next opponent is and who your next opponent is So all of a sudden, you stumble in that opening game against Morocco, if Neymar is to play an outsized role, that task for Brazil, which is already steep, despite the expectation of every single Brazilian planet, that it's the expectations that are tough, become a whole lot tougher if they stumble in that opening game.

47:01And that's my concern. Yeah, there's a lot of concern always surrounding Neymar. but Shaq brings up a good point that it seems more for the locker room, more than what he can do on the pitch here, Janusz. So it's really not going to maybe affect Carlo Ancelotti's game plan, but how could this affect the surrounding attention? Like Casemiro said, he was tired of answering the questions about Neymar. Yeah, I think Shaq raises the right points, but I do think, and I'm guessing here, that Neymar knew what his role was going to be. He knows that he's not going to be the starting player and playing all the time, right?

47:37I mean, he hasn't played all that much. It's crazy to expect him to now play 90 minutes in a game. I think we've all seen how important he is to his teammates. We've seen how important he is to the fans. You know, Brazil are a little bit different in that historically they have these star players that everyone wants to be. And look, if it's an injury here, I think it's a given that Morocco is probably not the game. In this World Cup, there are more rest days than ever. I think you look at it maybe in second, third game, I think Brazil will get out of the group. Are they going to be first or second?

48:09I don't know, but I think it's a pretty good expectations of them to be, you know, to go out of their group, right? And, you know, Neymar, injuries or not, is still a player that I, if I were Ancelotti, I'd say, you know what? He can still produce one, two or three moments of magic. He's capable of that regardless of how much football he's played and I think that's worth something because Ancelotti has been in some Massive massive dressing rooms as we know manager who knows how to deal with ego. So to your point Look, there's always a player that you can't deal with but in terms of how he's gonna approach Not playing all the time even though I think he understands his role Ancelotti is a master of that right?

48:53I don't know around Madrid everywhere. He's been Chelsea that's why teams get him. Not necessarily because he's a great tactician as some, you know, I mean, he's good enough, obviously, but maybe not the greatest, but ability to deal with these egos. So that's why I think that the injury, whatever it is, however it's going to take, I'd be thinking, okay, you know, maybe quarterfinals if they get there, the big, big matches, if I need somebody to change the game for 10, 15 minutes, great set piece, right, and all that, I still think there's value of having him on the team. This is the role we were expecting for Neymar Herk?

49:30Herc Gomez:That's the role I was expecting, and there was a lot of criticism to Ancelotti, and even those who would say he was influenced. I can't for the life of me think that a coach as successful as Carlo Ancelotti will be utilized as a puppet and be forced to bring a player like Neymar. I don't buy that. I'm more in the camp of Yanishev. Maybe there is a role here, because of the lack of talent I have. Now, hear me out when I say lack of talent. I'm not just talking about the outside backs, which have grotesquely changed for Brazil over the years. No more Roberto Carlos Cafu, no more Marcelo Daniela.

50:08Herc Gomez:It is what it is. You've got some players. Rafinha, Vinny Jr., Henrik. You've got some players. Absolutely. But have they done it in a Brazilian shirt? No. The center back Marquinhos has more goals than Rafinha. The center back Marquinhos has more goals than Vinny Jr. More goals than Enric. These players in a Brazilian shirt have not done anything. And you have the all-time leading goal scorer of the Brazilian national team, who's not a nine, by the way. Yeah. He's a playmaker. And yes, he is injured right now, but if you can carve out a role for him, and it may not even be in the group phase.

50:54Herc Gomez:And by the time the group phase ends, it's a month from now. It could be in a second round, round of 32, round of 16, or a quarterfinal. There may be a moment where you look back and you say, I need something right now. I need a moment of brilliance. I need somebody up, somebody out there where if this game goes to penalty kicks, has the confidence, the accountability and responsibility of putting this ball in the back of the net. I need just something. I think that Neymar could be something. I think there is value to a player like him. He seems well-liked by the group. I know he's not liked by the press.

51:31Herc Gomez:I know he's not liked by a lot of pundits. But he seems within that group well-respected and liked. And I'd like to think, I'd like to give Carlo Ancelotti just a little bit more credit than being a puppet. Yeah, I mean, we'll have to see then what role Neymar ends up taking. But it does seem more because Ancelotti, like you said, knows how to deal with egos and maybe knows exactly what this Brazilian locker room needed, regardless if Neymar can get any minutes on the pitch or not. I said the game was coming up this weekend. I'm already in World Cup mode, but it's coming up the following weekend.

52:05I'm already in June. Brazil versus Egypt, Saturday, June 6, 4 p.m. Eastern. You can stream it live on the ESPN app. If you've shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple ShopPay button you see at checkout? The one that makes buying so incredibly easy? That's Shopify. And there's a reason 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.

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55:01memorable night.

55:17Herc Gomez:It's a golden night for the Golden Blues. Tigres are going to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. It's an all-Mexican CONCACAF Champions Cup final being played this Saturday. Hurt kind of came to the realization before we came on, right? There's a lot of football on Saturday. There's a lot of football on Saturday. You got the UEFA Champions League, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Mexico plays Saturday night, Ecuador plays again, Saudi Arabia, Harrison right down the road. And then Sunday, you got a lot more football as well, the U.S. Men's National Team, a bunch of other teams. We're getting close. Yeah, we are getting close.

55:56But before we get to that, let's get to some business here to resolve. All right, the pressure is now on you with these questions, but this is probably a little easy. Who has more pressure going into this Champions Cup final?

56:10Herc Gomez:It's funny because when I first saw producer Beto introduce this, I thought about pressure, the Tigres experience. Like that would be pressure for Toluca because this team knows what it's like to play in finals. They've been playing in finals for the last 15 years. That's what they do. But have you ever been to Toluca? You know what the altitude is like there? It's not comfortable. It's not comfortable at all. One of the highest points when it comes to playing football in Mexico. La Bombonera is famous for the way they make the visiting team feel. This is a stadium. This is a plaza. This is a field that Tigres maybe don't feel too uncomfortable in, but the last two outings have not had success in.

56:50Herc Gomez:And one of those, a ridiculous final. They go to penalty kicks, 12 rounds of penalty kicks, and they finally lose this one. I'm going to go with Toluca at home because that home fan base, that altitude, I think it's a factor there. Okay. Yeah, I see that. Toluca at home and Toluca is much smaller than the Universitario. Yeah. But it's crazy how it's just as loud as in that smaller venue. All right. Let's get to the next one. Bigger X Factor, Paulinho or Nahuel Guzman? Okay, hear me out here. I'm a Nahuel Guzman stan. Like, I want to see him in a penalty kick. I want to see him breaking out, you know, all the tricks.

57:31Herc Gomez:I want to see him doing the magician. I want to see him doing all these different things. He's going to get into your head. And if he's on his game, it's going to be a very, very long night, difficult night for Toluca. But this man is just a pure goal scorer. I've not seen somebody score goals like this since Andre Pierre Gignac. And even Andre Pierre Gignac, in his moment, wasn't winning back-to-back goal-scoring titles. Did he win three? Am I wrong? I think he won three in a row. This man just does it all. And in this competition, he's going to win another goal-scoring title. He's already got eight goals in this competition.

58:07Herc Gomez:The Portuguese, who's on the radar, by the way, who I should say was on the radar for the Portuguese national team. He had his day in the sun with the Portuguese national team, played against Mexico in El Estadio Azteca. He's a very good forward. And he has come to Mexico, come to Luka, and he looks like, dare I say it, Prime Cardoso. That good of a player, that big of a player. I know he's got a long way to go, but we're putting him up there already. Yeah, I have so much respect for Andre Pierguignac, like what we're seeing with Paulinho. Foreigners who come to this league truly embrace it and really just set a high, high standard, which I am sure he will do on Saturday.

58:45All right, Paulinho again, because you just described him as the goal scorer, right? However, Angel Correa is there too. First goal, Herc?

58:53Herc Gomez:Hear me out. Hear me out. Prompt bets here. Paulinho, if we were betting on who would most likely get two goals, I'd say Paulinho. Okay. Book it. But something tells me Tigres is going to come out hot. Remember in this game, Toluca is without two big players. One, their captain, Alexis Vega. He's with the Mexican national team. Let's see if he stays with the Mexican national team. And the other is Jesus Gallardo, who's, yes, a defender and, yes, a left back, but very important to the way that Hugo Mohamed and that team play. Starts the attack. I think Tigres come out, and they come out flying.

59:29Herc Gomez:And I think they get the first goal. Doesn't mean they win. It doesn't mean they run away with it. But if they get the first goal, the most likely culprit is going to be Ángel Correa, excuse me, the world champion with Argentina. Okay, yeah, that's interesting. No doubt, and I understand what you're saying with Tigres coming out hot, as they always do, kind of setting the tone for the night. Anke Correa is truly that guy and has been that guy for Tigres. And he's looking for that big moment, too. Why not in this Champions Cup final? He's been good. He's been good. Right foot, left foot, a little bit of a goalkeeper error right there, but you've got to provoke the goalkeeper error.

1:00:02Herc Gomez:This is off the bounce, left-footed volley. He's a guy that can run into space. He can create havoc. He can playmake. And if he finds a set piece, if he finds a penalty, if he finds space in or around the box, he's the most likely one to put it away. Yeah, he has felt very comfortable since its arrival here to Tigueres, such a big name, which sometimes doesn't always work out here for the Liga I Make. All right, let's take it to the question. Who lifts the cup? Oh, I just think it's their year. It's their year. It's Tigres. What do you think I'm going to say? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?

1:00:42Herc Gomez:I was like, it's the Andre Pierre Gignac send-up. Do not believe that Orlando is set. I've seen the rumors. I've seen the false reports online. Settle down. Relax. Relax. Take it easy. He's still with Tigres. Chris, you belong to the Crosstown rival. Yes. You know what this team does. They get to finals. And when they get to finals, they know what they're doing. Duluca's a very good team. So does the lucado. Yeah, but you can't discount that they took two of their best players away. And I think that is very important. And one more thing. There's a few snubs, I think, for Javier Aguirre. Maybe wouldn't have gone to the World Cup.

1:01:20Herc Gomez:But to not be included in the list, one is Ossiel Herrera, who I think is very direct and a very different profile that they could have used. And he's a goal scorer. And the other is Diego Lainez. With a national team that doesn't have natural wingers, natural 1v1 players, Diego Linus was snubbed. And per our reports, you guys made a perk, it seems personal. It seems like there was something that didn't, he didn't like Javier Aguirre with Diego Linus and he is out. He may have a point to prove. He could be another X factor. I just think it's in their cards. Not being included in a World Cup roster for personal reasons, that's tough.

1:01:53Especially for a player who was so heavily criticized after coming back to the Liga MX and has made a name for himself in one of the more high pressure. Like you said, Crosstown rival fan. Yeah, but I know the pressure surrounding every player who steps by the greatest. All right. We do want to remind you to check out the Gab and Jules show available on ESPN's PodCenter and Apple Podcasts. That is a nice shirt. Not that one. Save money on your next oil change with O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Get a$15 O 'Reilly gift card after rebate when you buy five quarts of Mobile One full synthetic motor oil for just$35.95.

1:02:32Stop by your local O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Buster Olney here for La Quinta by Wyndham.

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1:03:23All right, on to some transfer news. because former Newcastle striker Anthony Gordon is Barcelona's first offseason signing for approximately$80 million, and the Blaugranas are already ready to sign their next big name. You see him on screen for a reason. Julián Álvarez has already agreed to leave after rejecting a new deal with Atlético de Madrid and has previously expressed his desire to exit. Llanos, is Julián a guaranteed Barca level number nine? Yeah, I mean you look at him, how consistent he's been really. I mean, probably there's no team that he wouldn't fit in. The way he plays, the way he works, right?

1:04:03He can press, he can recover the ball. I think he's faster with the ball than he is without. It's amazing what he can do on a full sprint with the ball at the speed. Obviously scoring goals consistently, you know, even a bit of a surprise if you remember, you know, during the World Cup in Qatar because he wasn't supposed to be that star really. what do you have like four goals I think so look I mean you know Barcelona different weight of course I mean we've seen when Antoine Griezmann and I apologize for it at his last game but you know these are not the same players everybody's a little bit different but I think if you look at you know the way Barcelona play you know he's not because he's not you know like Robert Lewandowski strict number nine he can do so much more his all-around game is totally different as well.

1:04:48So at the moment, it's hard to see how he wouldn't succeed with the players that Barcelona have. His free kicking abilities too are just fascinating. And that's something else that he can contribute with Barcelona. But Shaq, if we're talking about Julian Alvarez getting to this team after Lewandowski, we know they have very young talent with Ferran Torres and of course the surrounding players here in this Barcelona team with Fermin. is it Champions League or bust for Barcelona who already have surpassed the 10-year drought of that trophy? I think it's a step closer to Champions League than what we've seen and now we can make a lot of arguments about Barcelona and whether they are in a position to compete with the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich right now I think it moves them closer to that direction and while so much of their identity and indeed also European play has been based around outscoring opponents an approach that cost them last season again against Inter Milan in particular.

1:05:53Given the fact that Lewandowski is leaving Barcelona I think this is an outstanding acquisition if they can get this over the line. He's not the out and out goal scorer that Robert Lewandowski is but he can play so many different positions. He can allow you to play so many different ways. Big argument is that Manchester City have not been the same. Erling Haaland has not been the same since Julian Alvarez left Manchester City. That speaks volumes. I think he has grown in his own position, his own confidence, his own experience, his own presence. So brings that to Barcelona in a way that certainly they will need once Lewandowski steps down.

1:06:37But do I think that Barcelona signing Anthony Gordon and Julian Alvarez makes them favorites for the Champions League next season? No, I don't. I still have PSG and Bayern Munich at the very least above those two. But I would have 12 months ago said the same about Arsenal. And yet here we are a few days removed from PSG landing up against Arsenal in that Champions League final.

1:07:00Herc Gomez:It gets them a step closer, that's for sure. I don't know if it puts them on par with a team like PSG. or even a Bayern Munich, which is a very good team, and an Arsenal, which in their own right does very, very well to their style. But in a player like Julien Alvarez, you get a goal scorer, you get a facilitator, and you get somebody who feels very comfortable without the ball doing what Hansi Flick wants them to do, which is press the opponent. And people look at Barcelona and the, how could I phrase this, deficiencies defensively, and they think it's the back line. It's the lack of the press.

1:07:40Herc Gomez:It's when the press breaks down that they go right through them, and that's when teams like Chelsea are going to have a field day. That's when the Inter Milan's are going to have a field day. That's when a PSG, a Bayern Munich will have a field day. But if you can press the right way, win the ball, with the type of players they have, to dictate pace, tempo, and a Pedri, and in a few special playmakers like a Lamin Yamal, generational type playmaker, they're that much closer. I do feel you can't just say it's Champions League or bust because of the field, not because of Barcelona. You've got to respect the likes of PSG who's going for their second Champions League title in consecutive years.

1:08:23Herc Gomez:You have to respect what Vincent Kompany has done at Bayern Munich, who I thought were very unfortunate, very unlucky, not to get more out of that tie with PSG. And you have to respect what Mikel Arteta has finally done with this arsenal. This is going to be a very good Barcelona team that may very well run away with its third league title in consecutive years. That could be a possibility. But to say that it's now ready to win the Champions League? Wow. There's a few contenders in that field. It's a possible goal, isn't it? Yeah. If you have something like this. Because you have to remember, I think, what differentiates them.

1:08:59and you've touched on it, is the back, right? But we see how young Kubarsi is. That Martin's been very good. Another young center back. So I think, you know, that in the fullback, some issues because Koundé had a bad season, right? Two seasons ago, he was outstanding. Balde, drop off. Cancelo, obviously a good player, and I think he fixes that. I think, you know, Gavi now is a little bit of a bulldog. You talked about the press. He's going to get better, you know, and Pedri and all that. So I think they're getting closer. They're just young. I mean, Barcelona, their best. I mean, we can talk about Pep and all the good players, but, you know, the leadership of, say, Busquets or in the back, you know, Carlos Puyol or Pique, I mean, that's hard.

1:09:44That takes a little bit of time. So I think they're getting a little bit closer. That balance needs to be addressed. But still, forget about the defense, right? If you can get somebody like Alvarez, you do it and then worry about the rest later. I mean, 11 years and no Champions League title. We know that that has to be the priority now for Barcelona because the leagues, of course, are great. The Copa del Reis and all of that are fantastic. But we know that every Champions League exit in the last 11 years, especially the last two, I want to say, last year's thriller against Inter Milan, I know is just a dagger to the heart for Barcelona.

1:10:19Julian Alvarez, though, will have a very busy summer because, of course, he is on Argentina's Lionel Escaloni's official list, as we see here, announced earlier today. You can skip the two-minute video before to actually see the full list. Not on the roster, though. In Qatar 2022 are several names who are now on this list as well. One, I guess, notable name, Franco Mastantuono, just because of the team where he plays there with Real Madrid. Very young, though, at 18 years old, so he still has plenty of opportunity. But in this list, Masantono aside, is there any other name that jumped out to you that should have been there, Herc?

1:11:06Herc Gomez:No, I don't think it's who missed out on this list. There's a few names that I really like. Nico Paz was a young player who found himself in a similar situation. Like Masantono left, and he had a hell of a season with Como, and now he finds himself in a World Cup. It's more how this Argentina team comes into this World Cup. Because if I look at the spine, Dibu Martinez, he's dealing with a thumb, I believe, right now. Kuti Romero coming back from an injury. You can go in front of him. Well, Rodrigo De Paul hasn't really been playing well. McAllister, okay. Enzo, I'll buy. Rochelzo, we're going to see.

1:11:39Herc Gomez:In front of that, Messi, where is he? How is he going to be? There's just so many question marks with this team. and it's so difficult to repeat as a World Cup champion. So difficult to repeat. That's why you see 1998 France, 2002, a downfall. You've seen Italy and what they've not been able to do since 2006. It's just a difficult feat. I think this team is coming limping in to this World Cup and they've not had a proven record outside of Comnebo and that's easier said than done. But they're on a victory tour with every game outside World Cup qualifying. And you look at the caliber of the opponent, it doesn't really scream strength of schedule.

1:12:26Herc Gomez:So this team right now, with the spine the way it is, I have my doubts. Do you have your doubts? I do. I'm the same. And listen, incredibly talented squad sitting on paper. We know that. We saw that four years ago. Nine new inclusions from four years ago. But that is my issue. If you look at this team, and while Scaloni has shown a lot of faith with the players who deliver that work of four years ago, are those major individuals in particular, are they better than they were four years ago? Everybody has regressed. They've gotten older. But nobody, I think, has improved in that they were young enough four years ago and have now kind of grown into their position.

1:13:07Maybe I'm not the biggest of Enzo Fernandes fans to start with. He was good in the World Cup. Yep. Benefitted from Luchens. But my opinion, maybe Chelsea fans will agree or disagree with me. I don't think he's been that great for Chelsea. I'm not a fan. That's just me. My point being, this is not the team that it was four years ago. Arguably not even close. I totally understand showing faith, as Scaloni did. I totally do. I just don't think that this team is good enough to win a second World Cup. And there's always that question. You're right. I mean, same kind of, you know, team. And as you said, four years older.

1:13:51It does make a difference. And my question, of course, is not of motivation because I think the Argentines, you know, when they get on the pitch and there's going to be the whole stadium, you know, we saw in Qatar. There are no fans virtually from all the countries, but Mexican fans and Argentines. So that was it. So don't get them going. But, you know, that hunger, that hunger, I mean, they've accomplished everything that they could have accomplished in a short period of time. Two Copa Americas back to back. The World Cup. Messi gets his World Cup. The best player scores the goals, right? I mean, they walked the qualifying.

1:14:23Walked it, right? So we're talking within the four years, they've accomplished everything that they've been fighting for such, you know, I don't want to say such a long time because they obviously won the World Cup previously. And that's not easy coming here. The one thing I will say, this tournament's changed a little bit. They're older, right? We've said that. But, you know, there's more time in between matches. It's important. And the seating is important because they're one of the seated teams, which tells you who's them, France, England, and Spain, right? So they can't meet until the semifinals.

1:14:57But, of course, they have to win the group. There's, of course, some other ones, you know, like maybe the Portugal or Holland. And they, of course, can be in your way. I think if they do win the group, which you'd expect them to do, because it's not a difficult one, you know, there's a possibility of Uruguay. This is not the Uruguay that we've seen in the years past, but it's still an uncomfortable one for Argentina to meet Uruguay with all the history of the World Cup.

1:15:21Herc Gomez:Yeah, my worry for this team is you take Messi out of the equation and Messi is Messi. But the reality is every summer that we've seen him here in North America, he has had an injury. and we don't know what he's going to be like in this World Cup or how long he's going to be around for this World Cup. He's done what he needed to do in Qatar. What does this team look like without Messi? Because we saw it briefly, most will bring up the Copa America final versus Colombia, and that's fine. But that Colombian team is Jekyll and Hyde. I know it was a good moment for them, but we've not seen them in any other moment play without Messi.

1:15:59Herc Gomez:I don't know if Scaloni knows what his team looks like without Messi. I think Messi will play a significant part in this world again I really do quickly did anyone want to see Franco Masanto on this list no impossible since he left River a young player anyway again one of the players that we forgot about that he was part of Real Madrid he wasn't very good for Real Madrid left back Acuna I miss him I liked him 34 though I mean he hasn't played since that's probably another Achilles heel of this team is the outside backs. Look, with Maus Antono... I know how much you love Molina. Let him shoot. Let him shoot.

1:16:39Herc Gomez:I'll tell you that much. Maus Antono is a very good prospect and maybe on a different team could have had his moment like Nico Paz. But when you are with a team like Real Madrid, it's not about potential. It's not about the future. It's about the now. And he's not the only Real Madrid player that finds himself in this situation. Carreras, Dean Hausen, Raul Asensio, Trent Alexander-Arnold. There is a long list of young players. Camavinga, thank you, who are going to find themselves watching the World Cup. I have no issue with Max Danto and I'm missing out. There may have been value in including him because he's a talented footballer and will be there for the longer term.

1:17:20So get that experience under your belt. But once you decide, as Scaloni did, to kind of show faith with your team from four years ago. You know, again, there's no complaints in terms of where he's right now as a football player, how many minutes he's seen for Real Madrid and what those minutes have looked like. There's no issue in leaving him. Didn't you tell me that you loved Garnaccio and are devastated that he's not part of the World Cup? No, you mixed me up with somebody else entirely. Entirely. All right. Saved by the promo. Argentina versus Honduras, Saturday, June 6, 8 p.m. Eastern, streaming live on the ESPN.

1:18:04I just did all kinds of games today. Oh, boy. All right. As Herc and I mentioned, a lot of football this weekend. Herc, you mentioned the U.S. men's national team on Sunday versus Senegal. We will be back on Monday to recap. AFCON champions. Are you saying that's going to be a tough game for the U.S. men's national team? Nobody's arguing that anymore. Well, why are you just trying to blow that out? I'm just reminded of people, AFCON champions. Why are you just trying to blow that out?

1:18:30Herc Gomez:Did I say it was going to be easy for the... No, not about being easy. Most people want to take the title away from... Oh, boy. Let me go over and get some rest. Showing off that title more than a WrestleMania champion here, Hercules Gomez for Senegal. We will be back on Monday. Gentlemen, thank you.

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