America’s Best Soccer Bar Show Presented by ULTRA, featuring Clint Dempsey

26:16No yellow card suspensions. And then, yeah, go on a big run. Why not? Why not? If you don't believe that you can do it, then you shouldn't be there. So why not us?

26:33Why not us? Why not us? Again, in the positive realm, you had you right. I do think he's an incredible story. I mean, this is a gentleman who burst onto the scene, seemed destined for greatness, fell off the grid, ended up seven clubs, six different countries, and has just made his Premier League dream come true. As the highest scorer on his team, second highest scorer in the entire league. I am so happy for this man. I think he took a lot of crap last World Cup cycle, to be candid. I think you came on our show and talked about how much it upset him, that when Pepe was dropped last minute and he was chosen, it felt like he wasn't beloved from the fan base, that the fan base were almost bitter for the Pepe loss and never warmed to him.

27:18I mean, my God, watching him be so ferocious in the wake of that, what does it feel like to finally, after you kind of climbed to the top of that slippery pole and made the Premier League, what does that feel like? I mean, I'll tell you what, the championship is no joke. I mean, it is a grind. Lots of games, physical. What's up? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So you know what you truly are in your way to being the Premier League, going through the battles that he went through, all the teams that he went through, how well he's performed at Coventry. He truly deserve it. And we're proud of him and happy for him.

27:58And looking forward to that battle between him and Bolligan to be up top. or who's to say we don't go with two out-and-out strikers. But it's good to have these type of headaches to try to figure out. God, when you said that, Jürgen Klinsmann, when he played on Tottenham, played on a football team coached by Osvaldo Ardiles, who played five strikers, which I'm like, just thinking about that. Maybe we should try five strikers. And if Jürgen was here, he'd shout as he does whenever he tells the story. And it nearly worked! Which I just love. I do want to talk about management very quickly. We're going to take your questions in just one moment for this incredibly beautiful audience.

28:41But Clint, big issue number five, Mauricio Pochettino. I adore Poch as a person. I admire so much what he did at Tottenham Hotspur. I mean, just levitation, alchemy, building an incredible club culture. he's arrived I'd say he's not exactly established himself as a figurehead for football in our nation as I think he wanted when he arrived the thing that pains me is you could still stand on Madison Avenue with a photo of him and show it to strangers the number of people who would be like that's our man it's not where we want or need it to be in our soccer bubble and outside of it that opportunity has not been grabbed and right now maybe by design Maybe this is a plan.

29:25Almost every position in the team feels like there's a question mark by it. There's an uncertainty. You know, Poch's message to us is trust the process. You played in three World Cups. You've experienced different coaches, different methodologies. I mean, is that where we should be right now? Should we just be like, trust the process? These three games in the opening round, that's all he should be judged on. Oh, man. It's one of those situations where it's like if you're a fan, you have the right to question everything because it's what you care about, right? And if you feel like things are not going right, you should speak up and have an opinion.

30:04It's difficult to trust the process sometimes when you saw what happened in the CONCACAF Nations League, losing in the semifinal in the Panama, and then things start to get a little bit better in the Gold Cup in terms of getting to a final at least, but it wasn't the most beautiful play, I would say, watching those games. It wasn't the most exciting. And then you got the five games where it looks like everything's starting to click, and then we have what happened in the last two friendlies versus Portugal and Belgium. And now we have Senegal and Germany coming up, and you don't want to have a situation where you're going into the World Cup on four losses.

30:41I mean, it's hard to trust that process. Not to say that's going to happen, but I think it's, you know, I hope it doesn't happen. It's a possibility. I hope that doesn't happen. I hope they catch fire and beat Senegal and Germany and, like, get out of the group and go on a massive run. I mean, but not getting out of the group, it will be a complete failure, especially now with having more teams in there. There's no true group of death. You have eight third-place teams getting out of the group. So instead of a round of 16, you're going to get into a round of 32 first. So if they don't get out of the damn group, boy, I don't know if we can keep doing these shows.

31:27I don't want to talk about soccer for a while if that don't happen. That's Clint's public resignation letter. They're going to get out of the group. I mean, ultimately, I will say, AF pays me more than I can say that this nation, it would put a man on the moon. We invented the cronut. In our history, we have won one men's knockout game. It is unfathomable to me. And if we had a men's team that were half as good as a women's, I would genuinely remember that a happy man in this moment.

32:07So I want to end on a positive note. This World Cup is crazy. Every World Cup, when you go towards it, there's always a doom cycle. We're definitely in one. It's a strange beast. The tickets, the cost of just getting to the stadium on public transport needs a second mortgage. So tell us one thing about this US team. Because we've got so many incredible narratives. There's so many incredible human beings. These are players who have sacrificed so much, given so much, dreamt so much, achieved so much as individuals, yearn so much. When you look at that team, Clint, what's one thing that makes you feel so bloody optimistic for 2026 and the journey ahead?

32:55Well, I'm optimistic about a lot of these guys will be their second World Cup. It's not their first one. So there's a lot of pressure being on a World Cup on home soil. So at least they know what it's like to be in a World Cup and how to get out of a group and get to the knockout rounds. Some bright spots that I've seen over the last few months, I would say, is just Chris Richards, how well he's performed.

33:28I would say Weston McKinney, how well he's playing at Juventus. to always have his back against the wall and people to question him and then to want to prove them wrong. Maybe he was like me in that sense, that sometimes you need a little fire lit underneath you every time to kind of get the best out of you and to see Bolligan in the form that he's on and Hadjurite as well. There's definitely a lot of bright spots in this team, and I feel like if we can get everybody clicking at the right time, I think we could really do some damage. So I'm optimistic. It's always a half-full type of person. And as long as you've got a game to play and a chance to still be in it, then I'll take that any day of the week.

34:14Amen. Amen. I will say, hearing you talk about Western McKinney, I know Potch watches our show. Potch, I'm going to sneak to the camera to you now. What you should do is threaten to sell Western McKinney to another country and he'll just start performing. That's what it takes. Trying to transfer him to another nation and Weston will be just banging in those goals, doing the Harry Potter crap, and we're going to win the bloody World Cup. Because he is that good. Pete Weston McKinney is the kind of footballer that can enforce his will on games in the most remarkable fashion. I mean, he's a character.

34:54The person I will say makes me most optimistic. I want to go back to one you said, and I love this man. I love his journey. I find him deeply inspirational. it is Chris Richards

35:06one of the things that's pained me deeply about this World Cup cycle is almost none of the gents have stepped up and been able to enforce themselves at the face of this team in the wider outside the soccer bubble culture I hope this is the face of US men's football to emerge from Alabama SEC can God bless Al-Abal to a merchant SEC country and just surge into, you know, to Europe and fail and then rise again and then get yourself over to Crystal Palace. And by the way, he struggled. He struggled. He struggled for fitness when he arrived. He struggled for playing time. He had to find his rhythm.

35:53He found his rhythm. And then he found a mentality where he would, you know, he found it within him. He became like a big dog on that team. It didn't come naturally. It took a lot of time. And I look at him, I find him deeply inspirational. He's had all of a joy and a humility that I think our nation, this is the best face of our nation in 2026. And I wish Chris so much joy missing the last World Cup. I hope he takes every second of this one. But when I look at that face, I do feel a surging optimism. I want to take your questions. We're going to pass the mic, the Michael Bradley around in one second.

36:29One quick hit before we start. You ready for this, Clint? We didn't rehearse this, but I'm going to add a little bit. I'm going to name several teams, and I want instant reaction. If you'd rather have the U.S. men's national team squad or theirs. So I'm going to name a country. Oh, damn, damn. You're trying to get me in trouble. Well, this is easy. We'll start with an easy one. I'm going to say a name, and you just say USA or their name again. You ready for this? Okay.

37:02Uzbekistan US Seattle Sanders US Colombia

37:16I'm not going to go against my team US God bless Canada US for sure

37:29Switzerland US I like this game I'm not going to go against my team I love this, Turkey US for sure please God when I dream about that game tomorrow night England

37:49we've never lost against them US all day

37:56Anyway, this man scored against England in the World Cup, man. It's a joy. Robert Green never had a chance. Finally, Mexican. U.S. But I think Landon might pick those.

38:14Oh, my God. Landon's other team is the United States of America. it's time for your questions here's how this is going to work if you want to ask Clint and me a question just raise your hand the mighty Kayla will be moving around with a mic let's hear it for Kayla I was going to say Kayla and Craig have put all of this together not just this but every one of the 25 shows we've done this year she is like genuinely a people thank you, thank you Craig's in the corner incredible human being put your hand in the air if you want to ask a question Kayla's going to, we're going to do as many of these as we can Kayla, we'll come on your mic, just tell us your name where you're from and what's your question and we'll go for it, let's go Hello there I'm Duncan from Scotland Eternal blue forever too You will always be a sounder I have a question When you went back to Craven Cottage at the end of your career there and you said goodbye can you explain what that emotion felt like to the rest of us?

39:23I mean, for me, it was like a second home, I would say, is that feeling right. I had a lot of great memories at that stadium. One of the very first games I've ever watched professionally was there. I was watching Fulham play Liverpool. And it's funny that my first goal I ever scored was Fulham versus Liverpool at that stadium to keep them up from relegation. So it was a place that you had to earn respect. And it was not easy to get a song where people were chanting your name. But eventually I was able to make that happen over there. So, yeah, Fulham will always be a second home to me. just as, you know, anytime you spend five years at a place, whether it be Seattle, whether it be Fulham, that means something.

40:20You can't really take away those years as opposed to being somewhere for one or two. You always be a proper football guy than me. Thank you, sir. Amen. Appreciate you. One of the joys of working with Clint is, well, it's a pain as well, Funny how close he came to moving to Everton, right? Yeah, actually I was very close to moving to Everton. It was between Fulham and Everton. Both teams put in a bid and Fulham, I guess, put more money in and MLS wanted me to go there. I didn't have a choice, right? I just wanted to play in the Premier League. But I just think things in life normally happen for a reason and push you in a direction and that's the way you go.

41:02We'll say watching you in a Fulham jersey was one of the joys, I think of so many American fans' life at that time. It pains me to say this, you ended up in the right place. And you made us proud. Kayla, next question.

41:19Do I have to stand up? No, I guess so. Okay. You've already said some of these sentiments. Tell us your name. Oh, Cecily. I am one of the members of Arlington Spurs that meets here. You've already said some of these sentiments. But if any of the guys on the Spurs team right now in this dire straits that we're in, what advice would you give to them in a headspace to kind of push them forward? Because I know that it's a mental battle right now. So just curious. It's a tough one, right? I've been part of a few relegation battles. My first few seasons at Fulham was like that. and Raj knows all about relegation battles with Everton as well.

42:07You just need something to get you going. And it looked like last game that was going to be the something they got them going and then they conceded the 96th minute. So it's kind of back to the drawing board and you just got to get three points and just build off of that and kind of get back on a wave and get some momentum going because everybody's stressing. People are kind of second-guessing themselves. confidence is really low you're feeling the pressure from the crowd but if you want it you got to go out there and prove it so um stick together and battle it out and that was so those are some of the best memories of my time in in in europe is staying up versus liverpool or portsmouth away danny murphy of all people scoring a header to keep us up from getting relegated.

42:58So hopefully there's a few more twists and turns to make for a happy ending. I think it's beautiful, by the way. We did a live show with Everton after the Frank Lampard near-death relegation in Washington, D.C., where we lived out. Oh, thank God. I mean, it was a beautiful night, and it was hilarious. It was a show about turning, staving off relegation as if it was a trophy. and it was, I love what you're saying that some of your, why were some of your best and by the way, at the end of that show Frank Lampard let into the microphone and said learn our mistakes, we'll never do this again and then within like 12 games he was gone and Sean Dyches is our new dad he's back, I'm happy for that man to be kind of, just explain that, it's beautiful what you've said, some of your best memories, were those battles in the darkest of times, were those guys for Fulham?

43:52I think most people say that things that they work the hardest towards mean the most in the end and talk about earning your right to be in the Premier League and I was never part of that promotion of being in the championship and fighting with the team to try to get to the Premier League so the next thing I can say that's closest to that is being a part of teams that have avoided relegation by getting those points and fighting to the end to stay up so that's why it's special to me because it was almost like gave me that feeling that I deserve to be in the Premier League and that it wasn't just you know how some kids are entitled and just automatically think that they should get something you had to you had to you had to prove yourself so that's kind of how I look at uh those two uh relegation battles is is a positive instead of a negative it's just was I just want to say that you you are I want to wish every Spurs fan just joy and love I've been there You are the Everton of the South.

44:49I find it genuinely humanly agonizing to bear days ahead. Next question.

45:03Hi, Clint. My name is Amanda. I'm from Arlington, but I'm a longtime Sounders fan. And my question to you is two parts. One, coming back to the U.S. in the later part of your career, what was it like playing for the MLS? And then what's your favorite memory as a sounder? Ooh, that's some really good ones. I would say it was an awesome experience coming back to the MLS and playing at Seattle. The fan base that they have, 40 ,000 plus, at every home game was truly special. It wasn't the best playing on turf all the time, I would say. It definitely beats up your body. But some of those teams I was a part of, winning Supporter Shield, winning the U.S.

45:51Open Cup. They won the MLS Cup when I was out with my heart issues. I was happy to see them do that. But my best memories is playing with Oba, just giving and going and creating chances for each other and knowing that I could play him, he'd score, he could find me. and just having that feeling like you're playing pickup and being a kid again. But I'll also say playing with Ozzy Alonso, a true warrior. Yes, sir. Defected from Cuba, bet on himself. When you talk about people you want to go to war with and that will fight until the end, he was one of those guys. And it was a privilege for me to play alongside him.

46:38So I would say those are some of the memories for sure. And the fishing. Oh, yeah, the fishing. Lake Washington, I was out there. That was fun. Catching some largemouth, smallmouth bass. So, yeah. You mentioned the Camo Blazer of glory. Oh, yeah. You know, the Camo Blazer, that actually is from Men in Blazers' live show there. That was a gift from Raj and the crew. And it was actually the one that I wore my first time. it was like the second time being on TV but it was like the final of the US versus Mexico but they made me take the patch off I couldn't wear the patch I thought you ripped it off they wouldn't have been wearing it on there everyone was tweeting it they were like oh my god he's wearing the camo to a glory and I thought you were just like I've got to wear a bloody suit look in your wardrobe you've got one jacket you're like F that men in blazes back and there you were you've never looked so handsome I love that I love what you've said about you know, about playing with those two guys.

47:39They really, I mean, Uber really affected you. Yeah, I mean, it was fun, right? You had someone, a partner in crime, someone that was going to help make the game exciting. And the reason why we had such an exciting style to watch, I would say, it's hard with the pressure on you, knowing that, hey, you're a designated player. and if you don't do well, the team doesn't do well is because of you basically. So having Oba next to me, I knew we would never not do well because he could make something out of nothing. So it was just the energy of the crowd and the way in which we played, that was some of the funnest times in Seattle for me for sure.

48:25Take a Kippable.

48:34There you go. Hey, what's up? I'm John. I'm from Alexandria, Virginia. So as a Crystal Palace fan, I've got a couple of questions. One, you have any fun Roy Hodgson stories? And number two, are you dropping a rap track anytime soon? Oh, hell. I'm not dropping a rap track anytime soon. He's dropping a rap track with Roy Hodgson. Yes. Yes. It's going to break the internet. That would be something. What I say about Roy, he always brought good energy. He was really tactically sound in terms of how he could get everybody to play and understand the style that we were going to play. And I think that's why he was so successful in terms of giving a foundation to a lot of teams, especially when they needed it the most, being in tough times and how to bring them and put them to where they were, you know, solid in terms of being in the Premier League.

49:36But when I think of Roy, man, I think of the cold weather. I think of him wearing his long johns out there, his socks put over him, like running around, like rubbing his hands and trying to kick the ball and stuff. It was pretty funny to see. What was that like as a professional footballer? I mean, you're just like, what is this guy doing? like he literally had his like long johns underneath his like coaching attire but like he'd wear shorts but like you see these like old school like long john pants like it's like almost like he was in a western back in the day like that's with soccer shoes it's what he was wearing so in england we used to sew ourselves into our underpants when winter came yeah yeah we'd wear them for five months and just apply leeches when there was a little bit of a fun but as a manager were you just like that's like a man who's still fighting the Germans in his imagination or was the part of him that was like we didn't get to see as football fans and like behind closed doors he was a bit of a hard man behind closed doors wasn't he tough no he expected a lot of you he had a good team around him in terms of the goalkeeping coach and the fitness people and the medical staff that we had there They made the most of what we had and kept us on the pitch and kept us playing at a high level.

51:00But just how well he had us as a team tactically and organized. And we were just a difficult team to beat. I mean, that's the reason why we got to Europa League final. That's why we finished top six was the highest I think Fulham's ever finished in the Premier League when we were there. So you got to give credit when credit was due. And that's probably why you got the move to Liverpool. which is still my favorite Liverpool manager but by the way what he's doing in Bristol City right now is absolutely life affirming and ecstatic he is just proper proper football

51:37we'll take two more hi Catherine from Washington do you think that the US men's team will be able to compete with Europe as long as there's an expectation that players will go to university

51:53the college reality which is changing to be candid when you look at our US team there's so many of our footballers who after 2017 or Trinidad and Tobago around that time were already like we've got to take our futures into our own hands and move to Europe right then and there this is an incredible thing about this man this man went to Furman came out, how old were you when you came out? I was 20 you were 20 you know we're looking at footballers now 16 years old in the premier league 17 years old in the premier league you were coming in fresh uh when you were already 20 you know 20 is like in in the premier league you there's kids who already you know in the late start yeah so i mean it is a very interesting reality our system is evolving the college thing is being phased out there is a whole new reality it's a very jerry-rigged system but can you talk about that that reality of coming out of college age 20 and trying to build a career as opposed to being 16 17 yeah you're not going to get as much time if you're 20 you're not going to get as many opportunities with being 16 you still have the potential right of what you can maybe grow into and become the difficult thing about university when i was there was the season was so small right and basically it's like august to like november or december then that's your year and then you have Christmas break and then you try to train a little bit and you have a little bit of a spring season but it's just Mickey Mouse it doesn't really matter so when you go to the pro the pros a lot of players get hurt because they're not used to that workload of going you know hard in the paint from August until May you had so many breaks that your body just wasn't kind of used to it so I like that they're thinking about and I think they're going to implement a change in the schedule for college players.

53:42I think everybody has a different route to take to get to the top. No one's going to be just a straight line. Sometimes you got to go down some windy dirt roads and make your way back to the city, what have you, the bright lights of playing in stadiums. But I think there will always be a place for people to kind of do both. I wouldn't say that it's necessarily the best way to do it or not. I think the most important thing is being a player that you're at a place that someone values you and has confidence in you and allows you to play your style because that's why you love the game is being able to do your thing and hoping that the reason why they brought you there, they're going to allow you to do that as opposed to like bringing you there.

54:25And you're someone who likes to dribble a lot and say one and two touch only. We don't want any moves. We don't want you to take anybody on. We don't want you to lose the ball ever. So for someone like that, it would be miserable to go to the team rather than, you you know, adapting and learning your game and stuff like that. So, look, everybody has their own path, and I'm someone who went by way of university, so maybe there might be a few more, but I wouldn't want to just say one way is never going to work. Everybody's going to have a different path, and even vice versa. You look over to players that played in England, right?

54:59By the time you're 17, 16, 17, if you haven't made it in the reserve team, they cut you, you're done, you're off, right? And some of those players have nowhere to go. except from falling from a Premier League reserve team to maybe a championship side or something like that. But you see someone like Steve Zaccawani that I play with at Fulham. He went to Akron, and by way of winning a national championship there, he was able to go pro, play in Seattle. You look at Bradley Wright Phillips. There's a lot of examples of people taking different routes to go pro, right? I mean, obviously, to get into Premier League and some of the top teams in Europe is the most difficult way.

55:38And normally when you get on the other side of, you know, 22, 23, it starts to look more difficult to get to, you know, a big league like that. Amen. By the way, what you said is beautiful. Your journey was mad. You know, there's more journeys now. I mean, I'm thinking of Jack Harrison was in the Manchester United Academy. His mum looked at the, you know, 50 photos of every academy class, worked out the like two children from each class ever made even mildly pro. yanked him, sent him to a prep school in Massachusetts played soccer in a club in Manhattan Soccer Club went to NYCFC after Wake Forest and then finally made his Premier League dream come true with Leeds and then the greatest club in the world ever football club I do hope, you know, Miggie Elmeron coming over here and going from Atalanta to Newcastle I long for a day when this nation plays just an incredible role in manifesting elite footballers bouncing off into the Premier League.

56:42May that happen more. It is coming. Amen. It's coming. Let's have one more question. Make it a great one. Let's end the night on a great note. No pressure.

56:54Bangers only.

57:00Thanks so much. My name is Seth. I'm from Alabama originally. I'm a curse researcher. and I'm with Chris Palastisi.

57:08Between the national team and Fulham and Seattle, we've had a lot of diverse environments that you've played in. What has been the best atmosphere you've ever played in as a player?

57:19I mean, for me, it's got to be the first World Cup game that I played in against Italy and Germany in 2006. we ended up tying in that game. And I wouldn't say necessarily atmosphere, but just the occasion, right? As a kid, I dreamed about playing in the World Cup and to play against the team that went on to be the champions, and we tied them in that game. And then the next game, obviously, I would say up there as well because my first goal I ever scored in the World Cup. But for me, more so than anything, I would say representing your country was always so special to me. But in terms of crazy situations and big nights, I mean, maybe the Chip versus Juve to get us to the semifinal of the Europa League.

58:17In terms of intimidating places, I would say Azteca, but back in the day before they did the renovation. Like you go to Azteca now and it looks way different than my first encounter there. You know, just people on top of you. It looked like things could go crazy real quick. Now you look and you see all this nice boxes and everything like that. It's not as intimidating as it once was. But, yeah, those are some memories I think back on for sure. In the Premier League, what was the best stadium? Oh, it's got to be Craven Cottage, man. Second best stadium. Second best. I mean, I always thought it was really cool playing at Anfield.

59:04And hearing the fans sing, you'll never walk alone. And it was just, I was a big Stevie G fan. And going up against him was always real cool. I mean, playing at all the big stadiums. I mean, Manchester United. I mean, back in the day when they had Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs and Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and Vidic and Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, I mean, when I was in the Premier League, man, it was so fun playing against some of these teams, man. I mean, Chelsea, all the players they had, Drogba, Lampard, like Peter Cech, Ashley Cole. I mean, it seemed like every game you played was huge, especially when you played against the top four, top five teams.

59:50It was always, that's the reason why you're there. You wanted to have those moments to score against them or to beat those teams. By the way, I loved what you just said. your response was that first World Cup game. It's a beautiful way to close. It's about this moment, this nation, this opportunity, really. I mean, ultimately, can you just point to us what did it feel like? You're in that tunnel. You're about to walk out again. What were you telling yourself in your own head? You, this kid from Nagadoches, Texas, about to play the Italian team, the stuff that dreams are made of, making your dream come true.

1:00:28It's funny you say the word dream and you talked about the dream that you had of us losing. Because the night before I played in that game, I mean, I was told I was going to start and I had a dream that I played and I did terrible, right? I was like, oh, shit. Like, oh, I can't have this happen. The good thing it was a dream. But I still have time. I still have kind of like, was it Scrooge on Christmas? I still have time to change things. and uh i mean i just remember finding peace in the fact that like look you can only go out there and try as hard as you can control what you can control but go out there and don't have any regrets like take risk and try stuff work hard get stuck in and like going up against toti like that was you had the opportunity to play against big time players and and and express yourself on the world stage and i knew i was starting in that game whereas like the u20 world cup i got to play but I hardly played at all.

1:01:22Like maybe it was a sub and only subbed me in a game that we already were winning and I played like 10 minutes and Thomas Aron was like, go out there and do some moves. And then that's it. That's all I want you to do. Whereas like this, I'm like, you're in there 90, like 90 minutes potentially. I ended up, you know, getting subbed around the 75th or something like that. But like I got the opportunity to start in a World Cup match and to play against one of the best countries in the world and we were able to draw that game. So that's always special to me.

1:01:53What a note to end on. I mean, there's two things there. Don't you always wonder what the coach is whispering in the players' ear when they're about to substitute and you think it must be, like, incredibly complex tactical information, and instead they're just like, go and do some moves. Oh, my God. America. You're wondering why, like, the ball, the game's going on, Clint's, like, doing the worm. I just want to thank Clint. I love everything.

1:02:28I'm a very dark man. I want to say I'm closing tonight feeling better about life and about the future and about this US team than I did before, which I think is why we do this. You are my favourite player to have ever represented the US men. You are. You know you are.

1:02:50The tenacity, the ferocity, the never say die, the never give up, all of it that you embody, I think, is still the best of us in every single regard. That's what gives us optimism. That is what gives us hope. I wrote a book, and the publisher was like, you know, on the cover, what jersey do you want to wear? What jersey brings you the best memories? I was like, in a second, I was like, Clint Dempsey, 2014. There we go.

1:03:20Look at that. Hairline of Bob Bradley, jersey of Clint Dempsey. What a combination. So we're going to come out in one moment, but let's hear it. Four quarters. It's here for Clint Dempsey.

1:03:46Guys, we're going to come out. We're going to light the neon. You can sit for one quick second. And before I finish, I do want to say a couple of quick thank yous. I want to thank the whole staff of this incredible institution for welcoming us into Iran. They are. They are legit amazing. I want to thank Michelob Ultra for this partnership, which has allowed us to anoint and find America's best soccer bar. It's taken months to pull this off. I've loved every second. Look, we saw earlier how last year's winner, Brewhouse Cafe in Atlanta has had its whole existence transformed. It's the greatest.

1:04:24It's so deeply meaningful. The thousands of votes that come in for this thing from all 50 states. It's like the Michelin Guide, but better and more important. I will say I want to finish by raising my third first Michelob Ultra to all of you. You are this place. you are everything that's great about the american soccer bar i find the american soccer bar such an amazing pathfinding institution this is the the pioneer the pathfinder of everything that's been built football is happening in america football is growing football is established football is thriving but in the day when football was on that journey up it was the american football bar that first brought us all together.

1:05:12Football can be a lonely pursuit being a fan in the United States. 7.30 kickoffs, you're sitting there in your pyjamas. Do I drink a beer? Do I drink a coffee? Do I drink both? This is a place that brings you together. This is a place that transports you 90 minutes at a time. You're no longer here in Virginia. For 90 minutes, you're at Crystal Palace. For 90 minutes, you're at Stamford Bridge. For 90 minutes, God help you, you're at Tottenham Stadium. And that's it. More than that, though, you are bonded together. You're forming community. And the joy of football for me, I do want to say this, is the generational memories that you make together.

1:05:59And that's ultimately what we're celebrating tonight. to you, to your fandom, to your friendship, to the memories we make together. Raise this up. Big, big love.

1:06:13Guys, let's never take watching football together for granted. Thank you for... Just give me one second, mate. Just let me thank you so much for welcoming us into your hearts tonight. We'll be out in one minute. I want to raise this to you. Big, big love. Courage.

1:06:31bye