Brazil vs Norway & Mexico vs England | Day 25 Preview | Morning Cupdate, Presented by The Home Depot

0:00Quick word for our dear friends at Christopher Ward, the official watch partner of Men in Blazers. Now, many of you know Men in Blazers and Christopher Ward first came together through football. But what I genuinely love about Christopher Ward is what they're becoming here in America. They've expanded across the U.S.'s showrooms now in New York City, Chicago, Northern Virginia, Dallas and more. They're building something really rare, real connection. They're not just selling watches, trying to foster community. Places where people can gather to obsess over craftsmanship, design, engineering, and the stories we carry through time.

0:34I love these watches. They're precision built, thoughtfully designed, proper mechanical craftsmanship. They're luxury watches at a real value price, and they somehow still feel deeply human and accessible. So whether you're already a watch obsessive or you're just curious, go and have a look. Visit a showroom or visit the website. If not, try one on. Have a conversation. Christopher Ward, they're building something really special here in the United States. We're incredibly proud to have them alongside us in this community. Now, back to the football. Hello and welcome to Morning Cup Day. I'm Betty Glover and what a day we've got in store for you.

1:08This is what we've been waiting for. The tasty fixtures. First up, we've got Norway coming up against Brazil. You're not going to want to miss that. And then we've got the big one, the most highly anticipated game in the World Cup. It's Mexico against England in Mexico City. It is so tight, you just can't call it. What a day. Hope you sit back, relax and enjoy this incredible day of soccer. This is your ultimate guide to day 25 of the World Cup.

1:39Hello, good morning. I hope you all had a good 4th of July. Welcome to Morning Cup Day, built by the Home Depot, brought to you from our podcast bus that is here in Atlanta, the big orange bus, you cannot miss it. The Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready, subject to availability. It is day 25, everybody. And without a doubt, it is the biggest one so far. Two absolutely gigantic ties in store. This is what the World Cup is all about, everyone. Let's start with Mexico against England. A lot of English people are fretting about one thing in particular.

2:18How will England's players cope with the altitude in Mexico City? How does it feel running in Mexico City's altitude? To play at the Azteca, you know, 2 ,200 metres up, whatever it is, right? I think it's bang out of order. If you hadn't quite heard, Mexico City is quite high up, 7 ,349 feet above sea level, to be precise. Generally, experts say you need five days to acclimatise to the conditions. Thomas Tuchel said he wanted ten, but England have had about two days, so it's not ideal. This was the welcome the team received from the locals as their bus reached their hotel.

3:02Producer George has gone all shy. He was going to shout it's coming home, but he's not doing it, George.

3:12Anyway, not only all of that, but the fans' embassy has been hijacked by a load of chihuahuas in Mexico shirts. As tests go, this is about as hard as it gets. There's no doubt that Thomas Tuchel's side have the quality to beat Mexico, but the home advantage is going to be very unlike anything else that these players have ever seen. Forget Stoke away on a cold Tuesday night. This is Mexico City away on a sweaty Sunday night. But a very, very sweaty Sunday night. Yes, MNT fans, this is something you know all about too well. Mexico have only lost two out of their last 89 competitive games at the stadium since it opened in the mid-60s.

3:50Here's Herc Gomez on why it's just so difficult to win in the Mexican capital. I've never seen an advantage in my lifetime in North America like Stadio Azteca. The climate, the altitude, the smog. I've played through it. It is a difficult animal. I feel like the altitude is the least of England's problems. What about right back? Rhys James, he's still a doubt, but Jarrell Kwanza will be available apparently. And whoever does play at right back is going to have their work cut out against Mexico's left winger, Julian Quinonez, who has been one of El Tri's most dangerous players so far. He is ridiculously fast, isn't he?

4:29Mexico, they've got no fresh injury concerns themselves, and they are the only nation who haven't conceded a goal at the tournament so far. Then the first game of the day is another mouth-watering tie. Brazil against Norway in New Jersey at 4pm Eastern. Once again, Norway have occupied Times Square.

4:54Yes, it is another row video, but the Norway row is about to hit some very choppy waters as they come up against the five-time champions, Brazil, on the battle for the New York streets. It's not just Norway making noise.

5:19Oh, yeah. Battle on. Some atmosphere in the Big Apple, though. Look at that. Brazil, they have some big injury issues ahead of this one. Both Rafinha and Lucas Paqueta have been ruled out, whilst Casemiro's fitness is slightly uncertain. Paqueta's absence could potentially open the door for a certain Neymar to start, with Carlo Ancelotti confirming he is ready to play for 90 minutes, which would, of course, go down very, very well with the Brazil fans in attendance. Norway, by contrast, have no fresh injury concerns. Both sides had to scrap their way out of the round of 32. Brazil had to recover from a goal down to beat Japan 2-1, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a stoppage time winner.

5:59Norway, on the other hand, were also on the ropes against the Ivory Coast, But, you know, that man, Erling Haaland, bundled in the winner in the final 10 minutes. He's also been having a great time experiencing America. I hope you've seen some of those videos. I saw him in some cowboy boots. It was very interesting. And it is also Arsenal against Manchester City. That is the battle that we're all going to have our eyes on. And that is what we're diving into today on the Drilldown.

6:28Yep, today's Drilldown brought to you by Makita is all about this man. No worries, y 'all. And this man. Haaland number six is the king of Brazil. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland against Arsenal defender Gabriel has become one of the great Premier League rivalries. There have been 11 Premier League meetings between the two and their battle has become a show within a show. The physical duel is electric to watch and, unsurprisingly, is boiled over a number of times as well. Haaland famously threw the ball at Gabriel and then in the next game, where Arsenal beat City 5-1, Gabriel shouted in Erling's ear at point-blank range.

7:06Then, last season, Gabriel pushed his head into Haaland during April's crucial Premier League crunch match with many fans perplexed why he didn't get a red card for it. I still wonder. It's a rivalry fuelled by competitive fire, but also some mutual respect between the two of the league's best players as well. And now they bring it to the world stage. Round of 16, this is what it's all about. And the tactical stakes could not be any higher. Erling's big skill, of course, is pretty self-explanatory. He gets stadium announcers doing a lot of this.

7:46Five goals so far for Erling, half of Norway's total this tournament. Gabriel's key attribute, though, is beating Haaland in the physical battle. Where Gabriel struggles, though, is matching Haaland for pace. If players like Martin Odegaard can play the ball successfully behind the Brazilian defence, in fairness, there aren't many defenders in world football that can keep up with the Norwegian anyway. The other factor is that both players have successfully managed to get under each other's skin. If either player can rattle the other and potentially tempt a red card moment, it could potentially be the difference between making a quarterfinal and catching the next flight home.

8:24Yesterday we had our first quarter finalists confirmed as the round of 16 got underway. Host Canada became the first host nation to be knocked out of the tournament after being beaten by 2022 semi-finalist Morocco. After a positive physical start, Jesse Marsh's men fell victims to some clinical Morocco finishing and in the end lost 3-0. Heartbreak then for the Canadians, joy for the Atlas Lions. 3-2-1, Morocco number one! Three, two, one. Morocco number one. It has been an unbelievable run for Jesse Marsh's team. They overcame South Africa in the round of 32, but they were up against a far more fearsome African nation this time around.

9:03Just to paint a little bit of a picture of that first half for you, it had more yellow cards than it did shots. Yeah, it wasn't a thriller, but Canada were the better side controlling the game. Morocco keeper Bono denied the co-host twice in the opening 11, but the host just couldn't take advantage. In the second half, Morocco's quality started to shine through. They scored three second-half goals, including a brace from Azadeen Unai. Here were the scenes in Casablanca after the opener.

9:37It was an uninspiring but clinical performance from Morocco. They scored three out of five of their shots today, the best shot conversion by a team in the knockout match since records began in 1966. Not half bad, that. It means the end of the road for Canada, though. They'll be very disappointed. But let's not forget that this was a nation that had never registered a single point in the World Cup before. So reaching the last 16 is a ridiculous achievement. Bursting with pride, Jesse Marsh spoke in typical Jesse Marsh fashion after the game. What a great team. I'd rather be us than them. As good as Morocco is, I'd rather be us, right?

10:12Like, I'm really proud of our guys. We went after the game. They're hurting right now. But my goodness, I couldn't be prouder. Oh, what a ride it has been. Canada will thank you, Jesse, that is for sure. Meanwhile, in Philly, it was 101 degrees Fahrenheit at kick-off as Paraguay took on France. The Paraguayans probably didn't expect to be at this one, but their dramatic penalty shootout win over Germany earned them a glamour match against the French. Their supporters in the city of brotherly love were getting into the 4th of July spirit.

10:51Vibes, 10 out of 10. Firework safety, I'll give it a zero out of 10. Woo, World Cup! Make no mistake, this one was not a classic. Paraguay set up to frustrate the French with robust defending whilst trying to get under their skin with some dirty tactics. There were kick-outs, stamping on toes, you name it. Tempers flared in the scorching Philadelphia heat, but the French, they kept their cool and dominated possession. Paraguay managed to keep Le Bleu at bay until VAR issued a penalty after Diego Gomez brought down Desiree Due. Upsept Mbappe, who slotted it home.

11:32Kylian Mbappe is averaging a goal each World Cup appearance he makes. He came into this tournament with 12. He's now got 19 from 19 games. It is, quite frankly, unbelievable. There is no stopping him. And for a bit of context, Lionel Messi has 20 from 30 matches. Messi is breaking records for fun this tournament, but he might not be holding on to them for much longer the way Mbappe is going. Today's games have set up one hell of a tie in the quarterfinals as Morocco will face France in Boston on Thursday. Tonight, after England face-off against Mexico at the Mexico City Stadium, come back on to the Men in Blazers YouTube to relive it all on another episode of Night Cup.

12:14Rog will be joined by Rory and James Horncastle to break down all of the results on both of these massive matches. With pints in hand, of course. It is prediction time now. Yesterday, both Rog and I went for a Morocco win. I was so incredibly close predicting 2-0, but Rog went for a 3-1, so neither of us got any correct scores there. And the same again with the France game. I went for 4-1 Le Bleu. Rog went for 5-1, meaning that the scores are still tied at 8-0. Still to play for. Come on, where we want them. Today, once again, I took on Rog. Predictions with Rog once again. Let's start with Brazil against Norway.

12:53What are you saying? Oh my God, this is almost too close to call. We've got heavyweight clashes here. This is going to be a true test of Norway. I actually think Brazil will win this game. Just have more quality over more parts of the field. This is going to be super close. I think it will be 3-2. Oh, you're thinking Thriller. I was going to go 2-1 to Brazil, but I'm going to change it and go 2-1 to Norway. Just always trying to risk mitigate you here. Go on. England against Mexico. This is even closer than that first game. 50-50. I'm whispering this because I don't want to piss people off, but I think Mexico are going to win this.

13:30They've lost two games in the Azteca in 59 years. If England do win, it will be one of their greatest ever World Cup victories. I think it's going to be 1-0 to Mexico. Yeah, but look at the teams that Mexico have played at the Azteca in recent years. It's actually not that high of a calibre. Don't you be knocking Turks and Caicos. You don't know how good they are until you please them. I'm going to say that it is going to be 1-0 to England. I hope you're right. But I think you're wrong. Thanks, Rog. America. And as the world arrives in the United States for the biggest spectacle in sports, We're going coast to coast, host city to host city to meet the world with the Men in Blazers Match Day Live Tour.

14:15These are free college game day style live events taking place just before kickoff at some of the biggest games of the summer where we'll be taking the stage with celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans. It's going to be amazing. Come and be with us in person or from afar on YouTube and let's celebrate this summer the way it's meant to be celebrated. Just head to the events tab on meninblazers.com for all the details. To the football, to more together, courage.

14:47On today's Finishing Touch brought to you by Bear Paint, we wanted to share what happened on Friday night as the US men's national team were guests of honour at the Seattle Mariners baseball match. Now, ahead of tomorrow's meeting with Belgium, the US MNT made the most of their time in Seattle by heading to a Mariners game with the ballpark just a home run away from Seattle Stadium. But before they made their way onto the field, the USMNT were put through their paces with some batting practice in the Mariners' clubhouse. Here's goalkeeper Matt Turner showing what he's got. Oh! Okay! Okay! Oh! I was pulling in high.

15:25That is definitely not his first rodeo. He was pretty good, wasn't he? Yeah. Matt Turner. Swing. Got a swing. On to the game then, and each member of the team was given a guard of honour, they were all warmly welcomed, but the best reception was saved for Seattle Sounders' very own Christian Roldan. UW alum and Seattle Sounders star midfielder, number 15, Christian Roldan!

15:57And of course, they had to give head coach Mauricio Pochettino the honour of throwing the first pitch of the game. and to be fair to Potch, he's got a good arm. He's been practising. Oh, look at that. It did sort of look like he was, like, throwing something into someone's mouth. I don't know if it was that good. Anyway, you lot said it was good. Here was Potch saying a few words to the crowd, thanking the city of Seattle for their incredible support. It's amazing to be again here and feel your support. That city is amazing. It's a baseball city. is a soccer city. Thank you so much. Thank you to 12 men.

16:39And we'll give the final word to Christian Roldan who was feeling the love from his home city and he had one big parting message to fire up the Seattle crowd. Thank you, Seattle. Thank you for the love and support. Let's go win a World Cup. Go USA. Go Mariners. That is it for Morning Cup Day today built by the Home Depot. The Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready, subject to availability. Later today, the boys at the Give and Go will be hosting their fifth official watch along of the tournament. They'll be live on Twitch for Brazil against Norway.

17:15Join them because they are brilliant. Also, head over to the Men in Blazers shop where the merch inspired by so many of the countries and their fans from this summer is on there. You can buy it. You can buy Merlin, the duck, Mexico's official duck. Go and buy it. It's on a t-shirt. The link is in the notes below. One final note is about tomorrow, July the 6th, at 6pm Eastern. Rog and the crew will be joined by Atlanta icon Killer Mike for what will be a huge party. Come and join the fun at this free event. The doors open at 5pm and the match will be screened in the same spot after the show. We are going to be back tomorrow, but do enjoy this wonderful day of football.

17:52Get the popcorn out. Come on England.