USMNT World Cup Preview

25:38Kirk. Yes, ma 'am. Right. It's just posturing is what this is. Yeah, this is posture. This is actually, this isn't that bad of a tackle, really. He never touches the player. It was made more of it than it really was. And as Ali says, posture. But that didn't help his case. You know my German blood. No, I think it does. Nine?

25:57All right. Well, enough talk about Tim Weyer, because when we come back, we're going to talk about the man or the men that should be in between the sticks for the U.S. men's national team. Casey Keller will join us for this one.

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26:59Welcome back to ESPN FC. We're talking goalkeepers now, specifically Matt Fries, who was the goalkeeper of choice against Germany. Germany. He conceded yet another two goals and he now has zero clean sheets in his last six starts. Now we're focusing on the goalkeeper spot because it has been one that has always been cemented for the U.S. men's national team. But lately it has been quite the topic of discussion. Well, here's what Mauricio Pochettino had to say about the first goal that Matt Freeze conceded. I don't think the goalkeeper was the problem. From what I saw, analyze it with my goalkeeper coach, it was a difficult ball to come out for.

27:38You also have to recognize the quality of the opponent. Kimmich has a great touch delivering that ball and Germany have players who are very strong in the air. It's something that will help us improve. Alright, let's welcome back in our number one goalkeeper always, Casey Keller, at least for the U.S. men's national team. We do have our Shaka Hislop as well. But Casey, specifically talking about that first goal conceded. Walk us through it. What are you looking at there and is he to blame?

28:08No, he's not to blame at all. I mean, it was a good service. It was a ball in a great position. And I didn't look at that and say, Matt should have come for this at all. It was just a good ball. It was... But that's not the real question for me. Yeah, I mean, the question with the goalkeeping position has been one for the last several years. Not this play, not the kind of deflected ball for the second goal. It's the idea that we really don't have a goalkeeper at the moment that has distanced himself, that has shown time and time again that he can come up with the save that makes a difference in the outcome of a match.

28:54And I think the one thing that surprised me in this whole process, Pochettino gave basically everybody who and anybody who possibly could have had a chance, field players, an opportunity to prove themselves. He made this decision on Matt Friese very quickly. Herc said in multiple broadcasts, oh, he was giving him the opportunity to develop. Well, this isn't the time to develop. The time to develop is with your club team and then to prove that you're a national team player. And so I was surprised so early on that Matt just got game after game after game. There was plenty of other goalkeepers that I was surprised didn't get an opportunity because in those games, it wasn't like Matt Friese was separating himself.

29:50He was playing fine, but there was nothing in the performances, in the lead-up that said, yes, this is my man. The decision is made. And I was, you know, I mean, Juergen's son Jonathan should have gotten an opportunity. There was a couple others that should have gotten opportunities. Maybe Matt Turner should have gotten a few more opportunities. So, yeah, it was a little bit surprising. And, you know, Alexis, you did say, you know, it's been six matches now without a clean sheet. Yes, that's a concern. That's a team concern. But also, every once in a while, you need your goalkeeper to bail you out of a bad situation.

30:28And I don't think Matt Fries has been able to do that consistently enough. And so that puts a lot of pressure on the side to make sure you don't concede certain chances. Well, you said that he hasn't been able to do it consistently enough, but Casey, do you feel like that decision has officially been made now that he's done enough to keep that number one job? Or is there still some room for someone else to come in like Matt Turner? No, no, this decision was made a year ago, and I'm not quite sure why. That's part of the question mark that I had was that he just kept playing. He kept making all these changes throughout the pitch, but Matt Freeze kept playing over and over and over again, And there was no reason for that.

31:10I didn't understand why he was doing that at that stage because there was still such a big question mark. And yes, I know sometimes you need somebody else to force that decision for you. You know, like Matt Turner did in the last cycle, he just kind of came out of nowhere and showed Greg Berhalter that he should have been the guy playing. But I was just over and over surprised over and over again that I was like, OK, let's have a look at some of these other guys because we just have not seen, at least in the performance from Matt Freese, anything other than just decent. There was nothing spectacular to say, wow, that's my guy.

31:52But Pochettino kept going to him over and over again and not giving anybody else a chance. So I think that's what was the most confusing for me because that was not the case with the field players. The field players, he was happy to throw anybody at any time onto the pitch to give them an opportunity. But it was just it was free and nobody. And that and that surprised me. Yeah. Well, as we said, especially when Casey was playing, the goalkeeping spot was definitely one of the strengths of the U.S. men's national team's game. But Hurt, quickly, what do you think is the strength of this team and the weakest point?

32:25The strength of this team is in transition how athletic they are and how they can hurt you. The weakness to this team is, Alec pointed out, that in that transition they are vulnerable. And not only are they vulnerable tactically, but I think mentally, individually, they are very prone to errors. We're going to talk about Paraguay in a second, but if they get into a physical battle with Paraguay mentally, I don't know if the U.S. Men's National Team is ready for that. And I don't know if that is playing into the Paraguayans' hands. Going very quickly to the goalkeeping position, He made that decision a long time ago because of the actions of Matt Turner.

32:58Let's not forget the summer friendlies and what happened against Switzerland, what happened against Turkey. He hasn't exactly showered himself in glory. He ate five versus Belgium as well. You could say it's a wash between these two, but the decision was made for Marisa Pochettino a long time ago. 26 games managed by Pochettino, and there's 15 games that Matt Freese has started. That ship has long sailed. Ale? Historically, this has not been a discussion for the United States men's national team, the goalkeeper position. And when it has been a discussion, it's because you had two really good goalkeepers in the case of Brad Friedel and Casey Keller.

33:32It was, well, it's 1-1-A. Who do we play? The fact that we're Monday, Monday, the World Cup starts on Thursday, and we're still having a conversation as to, is Matt Freese really the guy? That's a problem. That's the weakest point. Well, it's a problem. and it's a problem that it's not going to be resolved from here till Thursday. As I said, it's Monday. We start the World Cup on Thursday. That, I think, is an issue. If you have questions about your goalkeeper, then you also have questions about your back line. And if you have questions about your back line, then you have questions about your midfield.

34:07You see where I'm going with this? The goalkeeper has to be one of those positions that has to be well-defined. Apparently not so much in this case. And quickly, the strength? Strongest point? How about the energy? Oh, la energia. He loves it. About the culture. Yes, the culture. The culture that has been created by Mauricio Pochettino. All right. The culture. We love us some cultura. Anyways, Juergen Klinsmann is going to be joining us coming up next because we've talked USA, but we're going to talk about Paraguay next because they could be without a key player. Where does that leave them?

34:43Time now for our future spotlight brought to you by DraftKings Sportsbook. Well, the USA start things off against Paraguay, but now Paraguay may be without its biggest attacking star. Julio Enciso suffered an injury against Nicaragua in a warm-up match, and now he's a major question for the opener. Now, reports suggest that it was more of an impact injury than anything else. However, his absence would definitely change Paraguay's attacking quality. But does this mean that it will make things easier for the U.S. men's national team? Well, let's welcome back Juergen Klinsmann for this one. Juergen, of course, going up against Paraguay is one rivalry, but then just having to fight the moment itself is another thing for the USA.

35:30Just talk to me about when you're the host nation and you're playing on home soil, how dangerous is this first game, especially if you don't score early? It is a very dangerous game, the first one, because you try to kind of give your team the feeling that they can do well, that they have confidence, that the preparation went well. So you're in a good spot now. At the same time, you are aware of the danger that the opponent brings to the table. So you hope that the players, you have them right on the edge in a positive way, not kind of being over-motivated. not being, yeah, I mean, you want them aggressive, but not being too aggressive.

36:15And an opponent like Paraguay carries a little bit the risk that they can drag you into their kind of cultural elements, means, you know, being nasty, being physical, you know, playing with your minds and throwing woods at you and all these things that we know that South Americans are capable to do that. and they have very, very good players. So they are dangerous themselves. It's a good team. And so you're trying to keep your players in a balance. You hope that they're not getting unbalanced by that opponent. And obviously, you badly, in the first game, you badly won the three points. Badly won three points.

36:57You know, we had, I remember Germany, the opening of the World Cup in 2006. We played Costa Rica and we won 4-2 and everybody in Germany was discussing the two goals that we conceded. and so you need to be very solid defensively make sure you're not conceding make sure that there's a lot of communication going on with your team I often tell the players you know think about you know how I can help my teammate then you stop thinking about yourself too much because if you think about your own performance too much then you might get unbalanced you might get too nervous or whatever it is so so if you think more about the ones that are next to you and you encourage them you scream at them in a positive way and then that when we talked about the energy then that energy becomes a very positive energy and uh and you yeah you you're not worried too much about yourself and that's what i hope i hope that they give each other the energy that they think more about the other ones than about themselves and and yeah don't let yourself get dragged into a nasty fight with Paraguay when the ball is rolling, but also in the moments when the ball is not rolling, meaning there's a lot of stuff going on when the ball is not in action.

38:13Herc, we've talked so much, especially when the draw was made, that this game against Paraguay is going to be uncomfortable for the USA. Paraguay know how to make things uncomfortable. Without Nciso, assuming if he does not play, are they still that threatening to the US? What's one thing the U.S. can't get wrong? Listen, Paraguay is going to be equal to some of their parts. They're a very good team. It's not just Julio Ntis. So he's a big game player. He's a young playmaker, attacker who can definitely come up and show up in big games. Equalizer in Bolivia, a very complicated place to play. He scored a big goal against Colombia.

38:41He's a player that comes out to play. But this Paraguayan national team, that could not be more in agreement with Juergen here. You can't get into a physical, mental battle with Paraguay. Ale knows this very well. They come out and they compete. They will be physical. They will be direct. This is a very good defensive team. Gustavo Alfaro is a very good coach. This is one of the best coach teams in South America. This team went on a nine-game unbeaten run. They only lost once with Gustavo Alfaro in South American qualifying. They beat the likes of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina. Venezuela. Venezuela.

39:18Oh, we didn't need to bring that up. They are absolutely stingy and feisty and resourceful. Yeah. They get their goals from all types of players. If you get into that battle, as Juergen said, you are playing into their hands. This is the most complicated game of the group for the U.S. Men's National Team. You just mentioned Stingy there about Paraguay. Let's put a number to that. Over the course of the three and a half years that you qualify in Comer Bowl and World Cup qualifiers, you play 18 matches. Over that period of time, over three and a half years, Paraguay allowed 10 goals. 10 goals in 18 matches.

39:52Now, quick math, that's significantly less than a goal a game. And it tells you that it's not just rhetoric. It's just not a matter of opinion or analysis or rhetoric. You think of Paraguay and you think, yes, they're mentally tough. Yes, they can defend. Yes, they'll put numbers behind the ball. Yes, there's an intensity. All those things are correct. But then you look at the numbers and the numbers back up what we're discussing here. Second only to Ecuador in terms of goals allowed over the course of three and a half years. So it's not just over a six-month period. It's not over a year. Three and a half years, and this is a team that will defend and will defend first.

40:30You know how we were applauding, or some people were. I wasn't. Some people were applauding the intensity with which Team Weah came into the challenge there on David Romba against Germany. Paraguay will enjoy that. Yes, come at us with that. Give us a sliding challenge because we'll give it back to you. And if we make this game about physicality, about fight, about grinding, about you and me and who is the bigger man, then Paraguay are far more comfortable. Yes. The United States are going to have to find a way to play through Paraguay, play around Paraguay with speed of play, with speed of movement.

41:06If you get into a fight with Paraguay, let me just tell you, believe me. Fine, you don't want to believe me, don't. But I've been a victim of this with Venezuela. We tried to get into a fight with Paraguay, and we continuously lost in games that we were better than them, where we had the ball, where we had possession, where we had chances, and guess what? They end up winning, and you go, how did this just happen? That's how Paraguay goes about winning games. The United States have to be very careful with this team. Do not underestimate Paraguay. You do that, you may get yourself into trouble. Juergen, what are you telling your players so that they do keep a cool head?

41:36Because we know Paraguay are going to be very compact at the back, but as Ale said, they'll be welcoming these tackles. they'll be looking to get under the U.S. player's skin? You've got to focus on your own game. This is the key. I mean, don't think about them too much. Respect them. You know, obviously, they have their strengths, but focus on what you want to do well. And obviously, if you have the opportunity to score the first goal and you score then the first goal, go for the second one. Because that's when you, I think, you know, I mean, obviously, Alejandro and Hercules know that far better.

42:12With the South American mentality, when you score the first goal, then that's when you have them on the edge. That's when you have them really in trouble. And then you've got to go for the second goal. So, I mean, I'm very positive about this opening game. It's a tricky one. It's a dangerous one. But I think that the U.S. team is capable to score that first goal in the first half and go from there. And then you have a game. You might be able even to score a second one. But focus on your own game. Focus on what you want to do well. And don't overthink all the elements that Paraguay brings to the table.

42:50And I would just say very quickly, against a team like Paraguay, to Juergen's point, if you score the goal and you seem unfazed with everything else that they're doing on the field, that gets them frustrated. That gets them disorganized. That gets them desperate to go and try to chase something. and then they get out of their shape. When you force them to do that, then you've done your job. But you have to rise above the nonsense. And you have to show a sense of maturity and say, we're going to play today because we have the quality to do so. We're not here for the fight. We'll fight if need be.

43:23But we have to provide the quality. If they do that, the United States will be just fine. They've got to get that dog in them. Yeah. Ruff, ruff, ruff. All right, we're going to take another quick break now, But do not go anywhere because when we come back, we will be talking who needs a big World Cup and we'll get some predictions next.

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45:13Welcome back. Since it's all about the FIFA World Cup this summer, we will have a daily ESPN FC in the morning, 9 a.m. every day. Make sure to join us over on ESPN2 as we look ahead and look back at everything from the World Cup. All right, well, if we have a look at the expectations now for the U.S. men's national team, you can see that there's some pretty healthy odds for them to reach at least the quarterfinals. But then after that, that's where things get a little dicey. But let's bring it into studio now because we want to know about some individuals and who specifically needs to have a big tournament.

45:52So we've got a bunch of names here right now. We're going to bring back Casey Keller and Juergen Klinsmann in just a bit. But let's start things off with Juergen, actually. He is the World Cup winner, of course. Juergen, from these individuals, who do you feel needs to have a big World Cup? I mean, they all need to have a big World Cup, but obviously I wish, I personally wish that Christian Pulisic makes it his World Cup, this summer's World Cup. All right, Juergen is going for Captain America himself, indeed. So it's me, and now it's my turn? Oh, yeah. Get in there, big guy. Yeah, go ahead. Why not?

46:30Hold on. You're hosting the show. You're telling me. Is it me or not? I was going to let Juergen times elaborate, but I think it is pretty obvious his pick with Christian Pulisic. He is Captain America, of course. So, Alec, who's Juergen? He's the one with the TV commercial, so he better deliver. And the documentary. Yeah, that too. Juergen brought up this name during the show. If Christian Pulisic is not scoring goals, then who? Well, it has to be none other than Valorant Balogun. And may I just say, we spent a lot of time talking about who should be the number nine coming to the World Cup. Because he started scoring goals in the manner in which he did and had the season that he did, that was no longer a conversation.

47:13Now, if you're a U.S. fan, you want that guy to maintain that momentum in the World Cup so that Christian Pulisic can have the freedom to do the things that he wants to do, and then Balogun is able to then score the goals, if indeed the opportunities present themselves. I'm going to say, if Pulisic is going to have a great World Cup, so does Balogun. All right, now let's go and get Casey Keller's pick, even though I feel like we may have an idea where Casey's going. Casey, talk to us. Look, look, I think in all World Cups, you need your stars to perform. You need, you know, your role players to play their role.

47:53And then you need those odd surprises. And what I need to see is I need to see a surprise from Matt Freese that I haven't seen so far. I need to be able to see him come up with a big save in key moments to help get results. So if Matt Freeze can come up with a key save, be it first minute or 90th minute, that helps the team get a result, that's what I need from Matt Freeze. Casey going with the goalkeeper. No surprises there. Shocked. I am shocked. Shocked there. Shocked. All right. Last but certainly never least, Hercules Gomez. Christian Pulisic needs to have a massive World Cup if the U.S. men's national team is to do anything.

48:32He's already taken. He is taken. It's Tyler Adams. He is the de facto captain, leader of this team. And you saw versus Germany. If Tyler Adams isn't sharp, this team is prone to errors. The foul he gives up in a dangerous position. He loses the mark in the second goal. He's got to be attentive. He's got to be very aware of his surroundings. And if he has a good World Cup, the U.S. Men's National Team is going to have a good World Cup. He is the heartbeat of this team. All right. Well, speaking of what it takes to make a good World Cup, Juergen, let me start with you because there's been so much talk about the USA making it back to the quarterfinals and that would make it at least a good World Cup.

49:08But for you, what would a good World Cup look like for the U.S.? Well, from a result point of view, definitely quarterfinals is okay. You know, I mean, there's the dream of more, obviously, down the road, making a semifinal, making a final one day. But I think with a quarterfinal, everybody would be quite happy. I mean, what I always try to tell the players in these moments now getting into such a big tournament is simply just, you know, take that opportunity. I mean, don't waste time now. The next five, six weeks, this is about your legacy. It's about everything you dreamed about as a child growing up to play one day in a World Cup.

49:52And now you get the opportunity to play in a World Cup in your own country. This is not coming back anymore. So I think, you know, that the players need to be aware that it's really about giving everything they have, you know, also enjoying it, also being out there thinking about what they can do better every single day. So being extremely hungry, being capable to go through the next five and a half, six weeks, hopefully, you know, all the way till the end, that they put their ego behind and they are there for each other. I mean, this is something that we will discuss up and down after the World Cup, what went wrong.

50:31So you don't want to have those discussions. You want to have the discussions that you did most of the stuff really right, and that's why you ended up very, very far in the tournament. So take this moment. Take it. Well said indeed. Casey, what about you? Yeah, it's just about playing well. I think if the side can get out there, play well, get results. You know, I know it's a little bit odd with the 48 teams, so we're not quite sure how that's going to work out. You've got to get out of the group stage and then see who your opponent is after that and perform. But just go out and make everybody proud.

51:07Go out and make everyone proud. All right, Herc, Ale. Herc, let me start with you. What would make a good World Cup? What did Pochettino say? They're going to win the World Cup. He told President Trump that. And then he said they're going to be in the semifinal in Atlanta. Listen, the reality is expanded World Cup. The group face is very forgiving, but the knockout rounds are very, very challenging. If this team gets to a quarterfinal, that is a dream scenario. Ale? Quarterfinals would be a great World Cup for the United States, but here in this country, we believe we're number one, baby! You want to give it the chair?

51:38You believe that you will win? America! No, no, all of that is not quite enough. Look, quarterfinals will be a great World Cup. Let's not forget, there's an extra game. There's a round of 32 as well. So in order to get to the quarterfinals, you have to win two knockout matches, something that the United States haven't done in the past. I'm going to say quarterfinal will be a great, great World Cup for the United States. All right. Well, everyone just feeling the quarterfinal vibe then as a good measuring stick. All right. Well, we're going to we're going to start now, start speaking in Spanish, wrapping things up right now.

52:08Let's thank so much to our World Cup winner in Juergen Klinsmann for waking up super early and joining us. Juergen, we cannot wait to see you over on the West Coast. Casey Keller as well will be out there as we head to the West Coast for the USA's opening World Cup game against Paraguay. Thanks, of course, to my team right here over on the East Coast, Alejandro Moreno and Hercules Gomez. And thanks so much to you guys for watching. Remember, there's a lot of ESPN FC coming your way this World Cup, specifically tomorrow morning. We hope you grab some coffee and join us then. See you.

52:44The Stanley Cup Final on ABC is more than a quest for the Cup. It's 134 years of putting it all on the line and the heaviest 35 pounds ever lifted. It's broken curses and broken hearts. But for those chasing it, it's everything. The only question is, who will take it? You just have to watch the Stanley Cup Final presented by GEICO on ABC and the ESPN app.