Futbol Americas: USMNT Competition + Pellegrino in a Major Cup Final + No Move for Griezmann? + Tyler Adams on the Move? + Leagues Cup in Mexico?!? + Run it Back

17:44Herc Gomez:One of, if not the highest paid coaches in the history of the game. And here's Pellegrino Matarazzo. And if you saw this game, the pregame, there's a video of him coming off the bus. My man has his camera out like he is a tourist. He cannot believe the moment. You're here, Reno. You are here. This team, the way they play, the way they bite, the way they fight, the way they work in transition, they are much more vertical, the way the players believe. Now, it is so deserving. And I repeat, he's the best coach you've never heard of. There are Americans, there are people in this country who still don't know what Pelegrino Matarazzo is about, who still don't know how good of a coach he is.

18:26Herc Gomez:And he's getting his due. So see, that may be a hipster club. Maybe a club that's known to a few people here. Maybe the Mexican descent because of Carlos Vela and what he did there. But this is a very good roster, and he's making them play very well. And the results are there. The numbers don't lie.

18:43Cristina Alexander:Yeah. I mean, when it comes to Pelerino Matarazzo and her career, I mean, you don't see Pelerino Matarazzo and think American, right? So, against all odds, he's here, and he's truly made a name for himself, Mau. But the final is against Cholo Simeone and Atlético de Madrid, who are more than motivated to win the title, to be able to save their season of sorts, what will be the most challenging part for them?

19:08Mauricio Pedroza:Well, facing a better team, number one, a better roster, a heavy roster.

19:14Herc Gomez:More talented, yeah.

19:15Mauricio Pedroza:If you compare what Atlético de Madrid has invested in their roster in the past two years, compare that to what Real Sociedad has invested in their roster, then it's a shameful comparison. You're not even going to go there. What Real Sociedad has done as a club in the last two seasons has been selling the best players. There's Subimendi going to Arsenal. They made an investment to try to keep Takekubo. Takekubo was hurt. He was not part of this team. So, to me, this is already a win-win situation for Real Sociedad and Pellegrino Matarazzo. I'm going to give a little pushback in terms of him having a great squad.

19:53Mauricio Pedroza:This is a good team. This is not a great squad. This is not a great team he's had. For him, yes. But in terms of what he's facing, this is not even a top six roster in a Liga right now. And what he has done is truly impressive. And I'm going to bring two things to this matter. Number one, the fact that he has faced the local rivals, the bitter rivals, Athletic Loop. Not only is he unbeaten against Athletic Loop, they have dominated Athletic Loop in the three games that he has faced them. And number two, first leg, they win away. and then they come back to play in Anoeta. And when you're leading a semifinal, you can probably tell your players, hey, listen, guys, we got to be smart here.

20:41Mauricio Pedroza:Let's not take any risks. They are the ones that have to attack. It was the opposite. He's brought a style of play to this club that they respected in that semifinal. They were the better team. They were the team that created the most chances. They were unlucky. They were just not clinical enough. Other than that, there was a fantastic display of how you come and create a culture in no time. His first game was December the 12th. As Herc said, only one loss at El Bernabeu against Real Madrid, rotating his starting lineup. This is a fantastic job. When he took over, the team was in danger of relegation.

21:23Mauricio Pedroza:Right now, they are four points away from European football next season.

21:28Herc Gomez:People forget. It's easy to see the talent that emerges from the United States and in North America. I'll say North America to not just limit the United States. And you see your Alphonso Davies, your Christian Pulisic. You see your Itzen Alvarez that leave at an early age. You've seen players like that, Leon Bailey. And it's easy to forget that in spite of the coaching, they leave. They get out there. They have exposure. When it comes to top quality coaches in North America, there are not enough of those coaches. You talk about American coaches, you're grasping at straws at coaches who have been somewhere near this level at a final in Europe, Jesse Marsh in Austria.

22:12Herc Gomez:Yeah. You know? I mean, we can go down the list and you have a few coaches, American coaches at the championship. You've got Jesse Marsh again at Leeds. You've got Bob Bradley. He went to Swansea. You've got Jesse Marsh again in the Bundesliga. You know, you've got a few coaches here and there. But that's really the final frontier for North American football is how to get better coaches. Everybody in Spain is a coach and has a coaching degree. Are you counting Mexico in that? Of course.

22:37Mauricio Pedroza:Yeah.

22:39Herc Gomez:But look, you're talking about select coaches and it's not enough. It doesn't happen often. So to see a coach who right now is at that level, regardless if you've heard of him before, regardless if he's a sexy pick, because most people don't even realize, he was a coach who was interviewed for the U.S. Men's National Team job. Can you imagine? Most don't realize that. Yeah. So I repeat, he's the best coach you've never heard of. And now you get to know him.

23:06Mauricio Pedroza:I don't want to be a party pooper here. But you said something that I thought was very, very interesting. It is, he specializes in saving clubs in desperation. Correct. Right? And that was Real Sociedad right now. Again, they were facing relegation back in December. That's no longer the case. Now I want to see what happens once the dust settles. Hopefully they make European soccer. They won game away to making European soccer if they win Copa del Rey. or if they finish top six, which is doable at this point. Yeah. Now I want to see how you plan during the offseason. How much saying is he going to have in the buildup of this roster and then not only creating the culture that he has already successfully done, but allowing their players to become even better individually, collectively.

24:05Mauricio Pedroza:Can he sustain this success for a full season? At La Liga level, that's very tough. We've already seen eight coaches being fired in La Liga. So if he's able to do that, then I feel he might transition from being an expert in rescuing teams to culture creator. And that gives you a different pedigree. That gives you a different cachet. And I have no doubt that he might be able to do it if he has the backing from the executives of Real Sociedad.

24:33Cristina Alexander:Yeah, I'm always so interested in the sports psychology aspect of it that some coaches really truly are made to save teams, and it seems like they do it every single time. And when it comes to maybe a bigger test, which is what we're hoping for Pellegrino Matarazzo, as in the bigger test, not in the next part that I'm going to say, but when they move on to that test, it seems like they usually don't do really great. I don't want to use the word fail, but they get like a C grade if that's what we're doing. Let's take it to an ex Real Sociedad player, Antoine Griezmann. It has to do also with Atlético de Madrid making it to the Copa del Rey final because he wants to play in it.

25:14Cristina Alexander:Griezmann has put a pause on his potential move to MLS side Orlando City. The final will take place April 18th, which is past the MLS transfer window deadline, which is March 26th. And one source told ESPN the offer was only valid for this transfer window. So my question to you, Herc, is that, was this the one opportunity that Orlando had for Griezmann?

25:39Herc Gomez:Was Orlando taking another L in the same week? First it was Messi, now it's Griezmann. You know, our colleague, Barack Federer, on Aura Nunca, actually said something that I thought was very, very good. Yes. That I thought was very, very good. He spoke about legacy. He's like, you have to remember how he left the first time, how Antoine Griezmann left Atletico Madrid the first time. And it was a terrible way of leaving, one that many fans took a while to forgive him. If they have forgiven him for the way he left. He left$90 million in the bank for Atletico Madrid. Fine, fine. But the failed LeBron James decision whole thing, it was a bad look.

26:21Herc Gomez:In some people's minds, legacy tainter. He is right now one game away from another title and being considered the most successful, best player in Atletico Madrid's history. He already has the all-time leading goal score for Atletico Madrid. If he were to leave before the final, just picture this. Antoine Griezmann leads to Orlando before the final and Atletico Madrid somehow lose this final. I think some things are just bigger than I want to live in the United States. Some things are bigger than, because I don't think he's going to make that much more, if I'm being honest, than the money. There's something to be said about legacy.

27:02Herc Gomez:And he has an opportunity right now to cement legacy, to go out the right way. A way that's, and I think in my eyes, dignified manner for him and the people of Atletico. I still think Major League Soccer will be there for him six months after that.

27:16Cristina Alexander:Yeah, because apparently if another offer were to come by, it would be after the World Cup. MLS summer window opens July 13th. That's on the heels of the World Cup final. Mal, do you still see a possibility of seeing Griezmann, whether it's in Orlando or in MLS in general? 100%.

27:37Mauricio Pedroza:If I'm Antoine Griezmann, I'm staying put. And he's going to stay put, as ESPN already reported. That's the right decision, number one. Agreed. He's won a couple of European trophies. He hasn't won at the domestic level. And that's big. That's important for him. And they are one game away from doing that, Copa del Rey. They're alive in the Champions League, and they're facing Spurs. So Atlético de Madrid are already in the quarterfinals in the Champions League. But I'm just picturing Antoine Griezmann getting the phone call from whoever he speaks with from Orlando City. And this person saying, yo, Tony, offer expires.

28:24Mauricio Pedroza:Offer expires. Better say yes. I honestly believe that Griezmann probably looking at the offer and going, oh, right then. Yeah. Here's your offer. Here's your offer. Here's your offer. Like Orlando City, who the hell do you think you are? Like, no joke. who the hell do you think you are to threaten a player like Antoine Griezmann by saying, hey, take it or leave it, my guy. I know you're Antoine Griezmann, but take it or leave it.

28:52Herc Gomez:Hypothetical threat.

28:53Mauricio Pedroza:Yeah, well, I would call it more of an ultimatum.

28:56Cristina Alexander:Hypothetical, ultimatum.

28:58Mauricio Pedroza:Soccer terms, come on, people. Soccer terms. Who the hell do you think you are? Like, Antoine Griezmann's gonna go, yo, gotta take this. Hey, Cholo, Cholo. Sorry, bro. They said take it or leave it, and that probably means I got to take it. Honestly, if that really happened, and they were like, we're not going to wait for you, that's one of the worst things I've ever heard in my life from an MLS executive. And listen, I mean, we have a list. It didn't happen. We have a list if that happened. So, no, I mean, if they gave him an ultimatum, sign in this transfer window, or we pull the offer, Yeah, but who said that?

29:42Cristina Alexander:A source told ESPN. Did they give him an ultimatum? Yes. I wouldn't call. Yes. That's exactly how we started this conversation. Yes. One source told ESPN the offer was only valid for this transfer. There you go.

29:56Mauricio Pedroza:Isn't that an ultimatum?

29:58Cristina Alexander:But this offer, Mal, because maybe the numbers could change.

30:02Mauricio Pedroza:Okay. Okay. Right. Because it's less time, so it's less money. So they're going to give him less money? Well, the terms would change. Is that the way they're trying to entice Antoine Griezmann to sign for Orlando City? It's a structured offer. God, I'm kidding, man. Get out of here. Could I just say this?

30:20Herc Gomez:He's going to pick that up. I assume that there's a part of Antoine Griezmann who thinks this is poetic. I get to end my atletico career against my former team, Real Sociedad. So I happen to agree with you guys. I don't think he'll leave. I would be very surprised if he picked up Orlando City. Do you think he plays for Orlando City next season? I don't know. I think this puts everything in jeopardy, if I'm being honest. I think there's another team that can come in.

30:43Mauricio Pedroza:Exactly.

30:43Herc Gomez:Like any other team.

30:44Mauricio Pedroza:Any other team.

30:45Herc Gomez:You're leaving the door open for any other team. You name it. Yeah, yeah.

30:47Mauricio Pedroza:You name it.

30:48Herc Gomez:Nothing's guaranteed after this. Hey, Inter Miami? Could be. LAFC? Maybe. Galaxy?

30:54Cristina Alexander:It has been linked to LAFC in the past. Or a Galaxy. Yeah, that would.

30:58Mauricio Pedroza:Orlando City. Yo, take you or leave it. Come on, man.

31:01Cristina Alexander:All right. So we will only see Real Sociedad play Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey final. We will see them play each other in La Liga this coming weekend on Saturday. As you can see, a full slate for you. As always, all of La Liga action. Are you doing wraps this weekend, Mauricio?

31:17Mauricio Pedroza:Yes.

31:17Cristina Alexander:All right. Saturday, Sunday.

31:19Mauricio Pedroza:Thank you. ESPN FC on ESPN Deportes.

31:21Cristina Alexander:En Español. Also ESPN FC, available daily on ESPN+. Rich Eisen here. The tax deadline will be here before you know it. And you just want to know your taxes are actually being handled. But the old way, you hand everything off and then silence. Days pass. Weeks pass. You start wondering, should I send another follow-up email? It feels like you're chasing updates and getting nowhere. But now, taxes are different because your taxes are done for you by a TurboTax full-service expert. With Intuit TurboTax, you can match with your dedicated tax expert and hand off everything right in the app. And while your expert checks for every deduction, you'll see real-time updates on your phone so you always know exactly where things stand.

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33:35Cristina Alexander:All right, staying with some transfer news here, U.S. men's national team midfielder Tyler Adams is attracting high-profile candidates for a potential move. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool are reportedly following Adams' situation closely at Bournemouth. All of this according to the Daily Mail. However, any deal would most likely take place after the World Cup. Say it again. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool. Bayern Munich was also in the rumor mill, but that was quickly dismissed. Tyler Adams in one of these bigger Premier League clubs. The first question is Herc, because we don't know obviously for sure if that would happen.

34:16Cristina Alexander:Is Tyler Adams ready to make a big move like that?

34:19Herc Gomez:Listen, to what I'm about to say, and I know exactly what you guys are going to throw right back at me. When healthy, Tyler Adams, he's one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League. He is one of the best ball winners. He's defensively sound. He is tough as nails. It's a question of health. It's a question of trust. I look at Chelsea. He's not going to play over Moises Caicedo. I look at Manchester United. Casemiro has been reported to be leaving. He's out. Ugalde behind him. That's not a player that I really trust. There is a situation where I could see, because of his style, because of his pedigree, because of his market as well, Manchester United saying, that's somebody I would be interested in.

35:04Herc Gomez:Would I wish Manchester United on Tyler Adams? Yeah, listen. They're third now. They're third now. And Michael Carrick, it's a team that's on the up, but it's been the most toxic situation in world football for quite some time. And I do not wish that on Tyler Adams. Everywhere he goes, he is loved. Everywhere he goes, he is valued. There is a next step up. And it's not just play because at times, Bournemouth has been Manchester United level. And Manchester United has been Bournemouth level. That's just a reality. But when it comes to platform, he's never been anywhere close to this platform. This would put him on a different stratosphere in terms of attention.

35:45Mauricio Pedroza:He, I agree with Herc. When healthy, top 10, holding me feeling in the Premier League. That doesn't mean, that's actually a great compliment. Of course. He fits perfectly current arsenal. They don't have a player like him. They just don't.

36:05Herc Gomez:Who do they have? Why are you laughing? No, no, no. This has got nothing to do with Tyler Adams.

36:10Mauricio Pedroza:His style of play fits this current version of Arsenal perfectly. You pair him with Declan Rice. Leave Odegaard in front of them. We got Saka on the right wing, whoever you want on the left wing, and Guio Cadiz. That's a championship team right there. Now, is Arsenal, are they still going to play this kind of football next season? because if they're going to go back to playing the right way of Arsenal football, then Subimendi, nobody is going to touch him. But this current Arsenal fits Tyler Adams perfectly. Other than that, I do feel that Mount United is also a good fit because they don't have Ugarte, the Euro-Warrior player.

37:01Mauricio Pedroza:He's barely seen minutes. At all, yeah. And the moment United announced that Casemiro is not renewing his contract, then there's an open spot for a holding midfielder like Tyler Adams. I do believe he fits that style. This current United. This current United. I agree with you. Under Michael Curry. I agree with you there. Playing a very, very pragmatic 4-2-3-1 with Bruno Fernandes playing freely.

37:27Herc Gomez:Bruno Fernandes.

37:27Mauricio Pedroza:That fits. I don't believe he fits Chelsea. That's a different style of play. And as you said, nobody's touching Caicedo. Nobody's touching Enzo Fernandes. But there are options. At this point, there are options for Tyler Adams to make the jump from a solid squad. Because Bournemouth, they have been very reliable in the past two or three years. But let's see what kind of World Cup he has. That might be the perfect platform for him to make that jump.

37:54Cristina Alexander:Yeah, I mean, the platform right now seems to be set not to play devil's advocate. and I don't think it's something novel that I'm saying, that this kind of attention maybe could be stirring up more attention from other clubs like potentially Arsenal.

38:09Herc Gomez:And I just want to bring up his age. He's 27 years old, and by no means is that your last contract. No. But it is a World Cup year, and I only bring up the name of Josh Sargent because Josh Sargent, when it's all said and done, could be a$30 million transfer. The reports for Tyler Adams were somewhere in the$40 million. Yep. And you're talking, as Mal said, one of the players who could be considered top 10 defensive holding midfielders in the Premier League. So I do think there's a sweet spot when it comes to value and what clubs can get out of them that are going to make them very attractive.

38:39Cristina Alexander:Yeah, absolutely. It'll be interesting to see him maybe take that next step, although we know what he can do. But like you said in the biggest thing, yes, Mal.

38:47Mauricio Pedroza:No, you were going to go for that because he's health. 100%. And if you're. It has to be. If you are a club like Mount United, if you're a club like Arsenal, you do your due diligence. You hope. And you take a look at the history of injuries that he has sustained. The time that he has missed. It's not a minor element when you are signing a big-time contract. It's also his style, right? Hopefully he gets to finish the season the right way and has a great World Cup. I have no doubt that he'll play for a better team.

39:19Herc Gomez:It's a double-edged sword, as you once said. It's the style that he plays. He's so physical. He puts his body on the line. Sometimes that comes with injury.

39:26Cristina Alexander:Yeah, absolutely. Hopefully that won't be the case for Tyler Adams, and we won't have to talk about any health issues with him anymore. All right, looking over his shoulder. Maybe Mal was reading this news because the League's Cup is finally going to Mexico. It will no longer be a U.S.-only tournament. Liga y Megis teams will host Phase 1 matches in Mexico for the first time since the tournament's inaugural season three years ago. Four phase one matches will be played in Mexico. Toluca with two games. Tigres and Club America will each host one match. Mal, it's about time. Why me? Why you?

40:04Mauricio Pedroza:Okay, Herc, it's about time. Question mark? I told everyone.

40:09Herc Gomez:It's pointing.

40:10Mauricio Pedroza:I said it on this show.

40:15I'm vetoing League's Cup 2026.

40:19Mauricio Pedroza:Makes no sense. Makes no sense. There's no reason to have Leagues Cup in 2026. Period. Period. Period. I think it's the worst idea. Nobody wants to play it. Liga MX Club, they don't want to play it. Schedule is packed. When the schedule was not as packed, they couldn't care less about a tournament. I wonder what the Mexican clubs are going to present when the Leagues Cup starts, even for those. I mean, should we thank Major League Soccer for... Listen, it's the World Cup all over again. Yeah. The World Cup has been hosted by the U.S., and they were kind enough to allow their neighbors in the South to have a few games here and there.

41:06Mauricio Pedroza:Well, Christ. Well, League's Cup is the same. It's all playing in the U.S. Oh, but Mexican clubs complain, oh, it's not fair. where the competition has been dominated by major league clubs because we only play at MLS stadiums. We have to travel. Well, you know what? We're going to give you four games, and now we have a fair competition. Now it's an even play field. Sucks. This tournament sucks. It's the worst. I hate it.

41:37Herc Gomez:Tell us how you really feel. I hate it, honestly. I just think it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing. It is embarrassing. Thank you. It's embarrassing from a Liga Megis perspective how they would fold over backwards, like bend over backwards and just accept terms. How do you say in Fútbol Américas that the Liga Megis They dropped their pets.

41:59Mauricio Pedroza:Yeah.

41:59Herc Gomez:They would accept terms. For the bottom dollar is what's important here. They never cared about the player's health. They've never cared about the interruption to the regular season. They've never cared about the competitive disadvantage. And now they're taking, to mouse point, crumbs, four games, four games in a shut your mouth. There you go. Yeah. It's embarrassing. And they're force feeding it down your throat after the World Cup. When I would assume most people, if they want to go to a World Cup, have shelled out a lot of money. Oh, yeah. And have already done what they needed to do for that summer in terms of getting their fixing.

42:44Herc Gomez:And the people in Mexico, because we saw this in the CONCACA champions, we saw this in other competitions, are going to now play top dollar to go watch their team play in something that they don't even want to be in?

42:57Cristina Alexander:Who's in these boardrooms making these decisions then, Mal? Because that's truly the issue, right? It's not just a one-sided decision. There are clearly meetings and meetings and meetings. Money-driven executives. Well, that's the thing. It's like Mal saying money-driven executives.

43:10Mauricio Pedroza:Money-driven, but where are they gaining something? On the sporting or on the financial? Unless there's an endgame to this. I don't know. There's a lot of politics involved as well. You support me. I support you. We have the Leagues Cup in the middle. Well, we can use that. We can use that so that we can still make our relationships stronger. And eventually there's an endgame for League of America, is the Major League Soccer, you name it. I have no idea. But we already have a Leagues Cup in place. Home and away. It's called CONCACAF Champions Cup. It's basically, with all the respect to all the Central American clubs, CONCACAF Champions Club, it's already Leagues Cup.

43:52Mauricio Pedroza:And it's home and away. It's fair.

43:54Herc Gomez:It's a Leagues Cup without more of a share for Major League Soccer and League of Manquis. Oh, there you go. And there you go. Mount, we spoke about this earlier. I don't think any of us on this table oppose the rivalry of United States versus Mexico, Liga Mexics versus Major League Soccer. We're for it. But don't force feed it and shove it down people's throats every single year, because then you do Campeones Cup, then you do MLS All-Star. People right now, there's a little whiplash. There's a little dilution to what you're saying to it. And especially in a World Cup year where all eyes are in the World Cup, it may have been the correct moment to take a step back.

44:30Mauricio Pedroza:But that would have been asking. I mean, in all seriousness, there is a way that this works. And we've said it for so many years. We started Ahora o Nunca seven years ago, and from then on, we've been insisting on this. And the way is you take the 10 best clubs in Major League Soccer, 10 best clubs in Liga MX. I wouldn't even go less. You got twit. Right. Right then. Eight and eight. Perfect. You create a bracket. You play home and away. Crown a champion. Simple as that. and you run that tournament in a calendar year, you find the dates that make it appealing for the fans. The rivalry would reach a different level because you have national team rivalry, club-level rivalry, but as Herc said, it's just pushing it, pushing it, pushing it to the fans to the point in which, and I think this is the consequence now, it becomes uninteresting.

45:25Herc Gomez:Yeah, quick one here. Just, I'll end with this. people are going to be watching this like who cares like why you guys I'll tell you why it's important because CONCACAF has given Liga Mekis and Major League Soccer the authority to give out CONCACAF Champions Cup spots to a tournament with the ability of winning money the ability of going to the Club World Cup this is important that they're handing out actual spots which is why it means something yeah and if it's going to mean something well there should be a competitive not disadvantage to a team, but competitive balance to the competition. Yeah.

45:58Cristina Alexander:Takes me back to the Interliga, too. You guys remember that? Beautiful.

46:01Herc Gomez:That was one of my first assignments for ESPN.

46:04Cristina Alexander:Yeah.

46:04Herc Gomez:That was my first game with tacos. Yeah.

46:06Cristina Alexander:That was the only chance I had every January to see Rayados play in Houston. So it meant a lot. And CONCACAMPIONS, I mean, just to wrap things up, we know that it's very important for America right now, and specifically Andres Jardine and for his future with America, although that is a conversation for another day. Let's take it to another domestic tournament. The She Believes Cup, U.S. Women's National Team versus Canada. Corner kick in its alley. Setnor there, Herc.

46:36Herc Gomez:It settles it nicely off the half right here. Good little half shot right there, half bounce, left-footed drive. It's not an easy finish. She almost stabs at it, but gets enough and inside an inning.

46:46Cristina Alexander:Yeah, it's good there. Emma Hayes is happy about that. It's two wins for the U.S. women's national team. They will face Columbia next. And look at this lineup we have for Football W Tuesday, 8, 30 p.m. Eastern with two-time World Cup champion Allie Krieger and another World Cup champion, Crystal Dunn. So excited for that show. You can catch it on ESPN.

47:07Mauricio Pedroza:And you are our champion.

47:09Cristina Alexander:Oh, thank you.

47:10Mauricio Pedroza:Quick timeout. Some breakfast intel you want to know about.

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49:36Cristina Alexander:That's ethos.com slash sports. Ethos.com slash sports. Application times and rates may vary. All right, speaking of champions, MLS Cup champions Inter-Miami visited the White House today for a reception to celebrate last season's historic title. Lionel Messi presented a signature Miami pink soccer ball to President Donald Trump, along with a Miami jersey and watch from Jorge Mas and Javier Mascherano. This marked the first White House visit for Messi. And from there, we're going to run it back. After we run back what we saw. That pink soccer ball is pretty cool. All right, let's take it to what we see here.

50:26Herc Gomez:It's Unis Musa. It's Unis Musa. Thank you. Coppa Italia. Atalanta versus Lazio right there. Yunus Musa with this goal doubles his output of goals in the last four years at the club level. I repeat, this is a respectful, informative thing I am telling you. Double his output.

50:44Cristina Alexander:Respectful, informative. Total transparency, I thought we were starting with Alejandro Cendejas. That was my bad on my notes, but here he is now, Mau, with this score.

50:56Mauricio Pedroza:Yeah, that's the only highlight from Club America in the whole 2026 calendar year. Good to see Alex Zendejas back. He's struggled again with injuries. He hasn't started yet. He hasn't seen 90 minutes yet. Slowly, he'll get to that level that made him one of the best, if not the best, in Liga MX. Good for him.

51:19Cristina Alexander:Yeah, good for him to be back. Good for America that he is back, actually. What about this from Rocas Puxas, Herc?

51:25Herc Gomez:one of the better central midfield young prospects for the U.S. men's national team. A kid who was a Kansas City product who's now in Croatia and turning heads.

51:38Cristina Alexander:Yeah, definitely. So a little, I don't know if I should call it a hipster pick, but glad to see that we're following Fuxas there. All right, Drippin' or Trippin'. I don't want to say we had a heated debate, Well, we definitely talked about this in one of the commercial breaks for Ahora o Nunca. Gobernador Samuel Garcia of Nuevo León wearing the jacket. Gentlemen, thoughts, Herc? I'm going to start with you.

52:03Herc Gomez:I think this is beautiful. I think it's dripping. This is dripping. I love it. El Señor Garcia, fellow Tigre, sporting that right there. It's a beautiful piece of clothing. I really dig this. There are a few things Mexico has done right in the jerseys and the gear as of late. The one on the right, the one that's darker toned, like military jacket, that's the one I'm going for. Not the Aztec one. Not with that print. The other one. That's a solid one. That is dripping.

52:31Cristina Alexander:Can I now say that you're suffering?

52:33Herc Gomez:Dripping.

52:33Mauricio Pedroza:A little bit. My mom taught me that when you don't have anything good to say about something or someone, don't say a thing.

52:43Herc Gomez:That's interesting.

52:44Cristina Alexander:Okay. I'll say it because I have something good to say about it. I like this. I really, really. I don't know if I love the pattern one like you said. No, you don't. No, you don't. You don't love it. You know it. You don't love it. I would buy this jacket. It's dripping. I know exactly how I would style it. Pilar Perez and I were kind of breaking that down, too. So, I'm down. I'm down. I don't know if I'm down for this, though. Our parting shot is from the Pumas game. against Toluca. So Mauricio is chuckling already because it was a very bad

53:23Herc Gomez:mispronation. Robert Morales. Juninho left them all alone, and from this distance, Mau, you got to put that away. Well, he had already scored from the spot,

53:30Mauricio Pedroza:but he used to play for Toluca. Yeah, he was great for Toluca. Maybe he had a flashback. He didn't want to score twice against his former. He was a champion with Toluca two tournaments in a row. Good player for Toluca. Really good for Toluca. Maybe he thought, that's my way of respecting my former fans. I'm not going to score twice. I'm sure that's exactly what it's like.

53:50Herc Gomez:They would go on and lose this game in case you were wondering. They did.

53:52Mauricio Pedroza:That was a great game, by the way. It was a great game. Three or two, yeah, for Toluca. Great game for Toluca. No, Pumas played better than it's been.

54:00Cristina Alexander:We were talking about Frank Juarez going to another team for the longest time and still there with Pumas. And we're still here. We will be back on Monday. Mal Hurt.

54:13Mauricio Pedroza:Adios.

54:14Cristina Alexander:Thank you, gentlemen. See you then.

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