Concacaf State of the Union: USMNT's struggles, and who are Mexico's Rising Stars? - VAMOS with Herc Gomez and The Give N Go 07/24/25, Presented by Michelob Ultra.

25:11And that's, I mean, it's a big if for any national team, right? You want your players healthy. They'll get out of the group. and I think the goal is quarterfinal run and beyond. I was more bullish. I was more optimistic on a post-quarterfinal run a few years back. I would have said if you were ever going to make semis, final four, in the history of your World Cup, it's in a home World Cup, in home soil, in front of your fans, in a setting that you know. I don't know if that's realistic today, but I think it's quarters is a realistic run, And I think they do it in a way where the majority of Americans get behind them and they make it an exciting World Cup.

25:50Till this day, the 1994 World Cup is still the most successful World Cup in FIFA's history. I think this will blow it out of the water. And if 1994 changed everything, it spawned like the birth of a domestic league, it inspired millions, including your boy here, to try to play professionally. This is going to be bigger. So there's a lot riding on these players. It's much bigger than Christian Pulisic. It's much bigger than a Weston McKinney. It's much bigger than Mauricio Pochettino. So I'm hoping somewhere along the lines, they get it together, at least this is what I want to do together, and go forward together and make a run.

26:25Definitely, me too. I look at, for example, around the world, and I see a team like Paraguay, for example, who had a terrible Copa America. They're doing terribly in the Comevo qualification. And then all of a sudden, they just went on a nine-game unbeaten streak in Comevo qualifying. The player pool didn't change. Their starting 11 barely changed. It was literally just the mentality, the synchronicity, They just decided, all right, if we want to go to the World Cup, we got to prove it. And the same players pulled it off. And now they're just one of the most informed teams in South America. That's what I'm looking for to give me hope when it comes to this USA squad.

26:54The talent's there. I know it's there. We've seen it years ago. And I'm hoping that maybe we just get a little lucky and that return to form occurs over these next 12 months.

27:09Let's switch gears to the Mexican national team. Obviously, a very successful summer. The Mexican national team, who I think it's fair to say Reynosa Soltero has been a different team under Javier Aguirre. Maybe not the most progressive team in terms of footballing, a more pragmatic team, but an effective team. A lot of players made the jump with Javier Aguirre. A lot of young players. Mateo Chavez. There's also Gilberto Mora, who's done very well, who just signed with Rafael Pimienta. She's the agent of the likes of Erlene Holland, of the likes of Santiago Jimenez. He's a 16-year-old player who has the potential to make that leap going forward to Europe.

27:48There's also Marcel Ruiz, who's taken that leap of Toluca to the Mexican national team, solidifying himself as a good player. Who has stood out to you, guys? I'll start with you right now. So who has stood out to you in the Mexican national team and why this summer? Before I even get to the players, I think what's so important or so amazing as a Mexico fan is that for the first time in a long time, It feels like all those talks that you have on Twitter, all those talks that you have in person with your homies, we're like, you know, you're like this kid from Toluca. He should definitely get some minutes, man.

28:16He's young. He should get that opportunity. Or the idea of a 16 year old, Hiberto Mora, getting into the starting 11 just sounds ludicrous and doesn't really happen for the Mexican national team. If you go based off of these past 10 years, all that finally happened. We finally were able to see a coach make decisions that align with what the fans wanted because they were rooted in actual good decisions, I think. giving a youngster an opportunity to shine like Gilberto Mora, giving Marcel Ruiz the keys to the midfield alongside Edson Alvarez, and then having players up top like Raul Jimenez going through his resurgence, I think is a big part of Mexico's success.

28:50But honestly, if I'm going to focus on a sector of the pitch under Javier Aguirre, it has to be our defense, man. The defense has been so good, so consistent, so reliable. Cesar Montes and Johan Vásquez have played the best pair in CONCACAF, and they are just continuing to get better. They're playing well at club level too. and I really like how Aguirre has honed into them, has really made them the important part of this team, almost our identity because we're not a high goal scoring type of team anymore. Instead, we just have a really good reliable defense to give us that foundation to then go and win 1-0, 2-0 and get the results.

29:24So that to me is the biggest takeaway so far. I couldn't agree more. That center back duo, Cesar Montes, Johan Vazquez is here to stay and they've been doing extremely well. I think it's the outsides that are the question marks, right? It's the left back, it's the right back. Who is it? Is it Jorge Sanchez? Is it Kevin Labres coming back in? Is it Israel Reyes who slots over the right? Or is it Juliano Araujo, the Mexican-American who starts the quarterfinal and the semifinal? But for the life of me, I don't know why he didn't even dress for the final. What did you guys make of that? It did surprise me.

29:52But at the same time, what I do like about Aguirre is that he does make bold moves in real time. He doesn't wait for a tournament to be over. We saw Mora get included as a starter kind of midway through the tournament. And I actually kind of applaud Aguirre for making these changes, though, because it's what the USA haven't really done is start off with a really good base of players and then add in players that are found good form either with the team or at club level. And that's what really stood out to me for Mexico is actually those midfield inclusions, because it used to be so defensive with Edson Alvarez, Charlie Rodriguez and Luis Romo as our starting midfielder for Mexico.

30:31But now in this tournament, we saw Aguirre just change that finally. People have been begging for more creative midfielders, and Aguirre actually pulled that off with Marcel Ruiz being the starting midfielder alongside Enzo Alvarez, and then Mora coming in mid-tournament and honestly being probably one of the most brightest players Mexico had in the semifinal and finals. So I really applaud Aguirre for constantly changing this team. Juliano Araujo, he's a friend of the podcast on Vamos. I messaged him right when I found that out. I was like, hey, you got to be injured, right? And I applaud the kid's mentality.

31:05He's like, that's just football. And he had like such a just, you know, like I got to keep moving forward type of mentality about it, which I applaud. I couldn't agree more about the midfield, man. When you look at Javier Aguirre and what he's been historically, he's pragmatic. And all of a sudden, he gets a little creative. There's a little wrinkle. That to me screams Rafa Marquez, who's his assistant coach right there. You know, that's Rafa Marquez adding his own element, his own wrinkle. Last World Cup cycle, that wrinkle was Luis Chavez. Luis Chavez was a sleeper pick. Like this guy who came out of nowhere and not only made an impression, started, but made an impression at the World Cup.

31:41Scored a goloso, a banger against Saudi Arabia, one of the few bright spots that Mexico had in that World Cup. Do you see any sleepers here? Is there a pick you'd say, you know what, this guy right now, maybe not making a name for himself, but I could see him being an important part in the World Cup. somebody that you've seen maybe in this Gold Cup or you see, you know, I'm still waiting for him to explode. He could be a big sleeper. Because of our current situation at wing, I think with Roberto Alvarado and Alexis Vega, I think Alexis Vega has been in a little bit better form as of recently. Alvarado didn't shine the way a lot of people hoped he would.

32:14He was still very good, but I feel like there's an opening there for a winger, a Mexican winger to really show out. And if you have a Mexican winger going off at the club level leading into the World Cup, there's definitely a chance that they could make a name for themselves and get the opportunity to shine at the World Cup. One name that I have in mind is a winger for Chivas called Hugo Camberos, who has been really good in this past season. The numbers aren't there yet, and obviously he's playing alongside Roberto Alvarado, but I like his electricity. I like his energy. I like kind of what he represents.

32:45Also, a young winger. It's nice to have, and I think if he has a good season with this Liga and Mecchi season that's underway already, if it's a good season and does it again there's definitely a chance for a surprise there at winger with hugo cambero so that's a player that i think i would love to see get the opportunity he's also the oldest looking teenager i've ever seen in my life but i know right i was trying to describe him just now because i'm like trying to hype up the youth but he looks like he's 40 but he plays like a baller he is fast he is tricky how about you soltero for me it actually is mateo chavez who we saw get included in this gold cup i love fullback positions it's my favorite position so maybe there's a little bit of bias here but the reason why i really like chavez is he's very technical very raw for sure but i think he's going to really hone in on his technical skills over in the netherlands with az alkmaar we saw a couple years ago in that same position at alkmaar milos kirk is go off and now he's playing now he just got a big money move to liverpool i think chavez definitely has the right foundation to be successful in europe i mean just off of these few appearances in the Gold Cup, you can really tell that he really is pass first.

33:52He's focused on the technical idea of the game rather than the physical. And also just the fact that you already alluded to, Herc, is those wing positions in those fullbacks, a little questionable right now for Mexico. Gallardo's just not the exact same player that he was over these last four or five years. And I think a more technical player like Chavez could be very successful there, especially if he has a good season in Europe this year. Yeah, especially because Gerardo Arteaga is falling off a map. I don't even know where that kid is right now. But listen, I love that you brought up the foundation and how technical he is.

34:23He reminds me of Santi Jimenez, not in the technical ability, but the foundation. Santi's dad plays, so he knows what it's about. It's kind of guided him. Mateo's, Travis's dad, also played long time. Liga Mequis, you know, player, long tradition, very technical player. So it's they've got a good foundation and know what they want. I think that's good going forward. There's a guy who I've been very impressed with. Started off as a young player in Querétaro, then goes to Tijuana, and then goes to Toluca. And everywhere, he's been doing just solid. He's been getting better, and he's been a solid player.

34:54That's Marcel Ruiz. Marcel Ruiz was easily a standout player in Liga Mequis this year, scored some bangers. And it surprised me how Mexico works, how Liga Mequis works. Because in my time playing in Liga Mequis, you had to have multiple seasons in order to be considered for the national team. Like, good multiple seasons. I played with a guy named Guti Estrada, a right back at Santos, and he won the Balon de Oro, I should say, five different times. And he's got like one cap to his name, one appearance at the Mexican Nationals. I mean, it was very difficult. Guys have a good season or two, and they get thrust into the limelight, and you're getting all kinds of crazy offers.

35:32We've seen this tug of war, and I'm not saying Marcel doesn't deserve the recognition. I actually think he does. But we're seeing a crazy tug of war right now between young Mexican players and the ownerships and letting them go. If Suchtown of the championship was interested, we've heard mixed reports of who turned it down, whether it was Marcel Ruiz or Toluca, but they turned it down. Palmeiras is interested now, the Brazilian giant, in Marcel Ruiz because Richard Rios left and there's an opening there. And they've turned that down as well. I'm curious your guys' thoughts and what you make of it.

36:07What do you make of, one, Marcel and his, you know, astronomic rise, and two, the situation of him not making that jump yet? He's 24 years old. I think it's interesting because this one has an added layer of, I think the Lucas has intent to let him go because their title hopes do, I think, rely a lot on Marcel Ruiz specifically being in that midfield. When you see Cruz Azul getting stronger, making crazy moves in the transfer market, when you see America spending money as always, you want to retain that dominance that they showcased last season, winning the championship. To do it again, I do think they have to have Marcel Ruiz in that midfield.

36:44So that's an added layer on top of it. Because sometimes, you know, you'll have like Eric Sanchez, for example, was at Pachuca. But Pachuca wasn't a title-winning type of team. And they ended up giving him off to America. Still, they were hesitant to loan him off or to send him off to Europe. That was a bad move overall. But they weren't title contenders the way I think Toluca is right now. And so that's an interesting layer that you add on to this story, Marcel Ruiz, because I do think he needs to be looking to go elsewhere now. The conversation started two, three seasons ago about him potentially making a move.

37:13He then backs it up by having an incredible, incredible season with DeLuca and now has become a champion. It's the perfect time, especially after the Gold Cup. It's the perfect time to make the move. So I'm adamant that he has to make the move this season. There's no point in postponing it. He's also about 24 years old, I believe. So the age is perfect. The timing is now. Let's go to Europe, Marcel. Would y 'all genuinely be happy with a move to the championship, though? Like, would that actually be the move you would want to see Ruiz make? I see the discourse online of, bro, it's the championship.

37:46Bro, it's Brazil. There's this way of thinking where top five is the only thing that matters. It's the Premier League. It's La Liga. It's the Bundesliga, Serie A, and it's France. And even if it is France, it's, well, it's a Farmers League type of talk. Players can't be better versions of themselves in a Palmeiras. By the way, Richo Rios, you know, who's leaving Palmeiras right now to go to Europe, who potentially Marcel Ruiz could replace, was in Mazatlan a few years ago. It's all about making the proper adjustments to being a better footballer and the world will see you. The same way people scoff at the championship, which I think is a top 10 league in the world and a very difficult league with a lot of money, is the same way a lot of people would scoff, probably would scoff even more, at Toluca.

38:32Major League Soccer League, Amegis, the rest of the world views us as exotic locations. And that's okay because we know the type of talent that resides here. I think going to a championship or a Brazilian league team like Palmeiras is an excellent move for a player like Marcel Ruiz in terms of development. But I could definitely see the discourse and the why people would discredit that. I think when it comes to those two leagues, I would definitely prefer Brazil over the championship. England's very, very physical. And I'm not saying Marcelo Ruiz couldn't handle it, but I feel more secure about his path in Brazil.

39:08Seeing what guys like Johnny Cardoso, for example, did with Internacional. I would kind of mirror that sort of path where he then had a couple years, two, three years, really good years with Internacional. makes the move to Real Betis. I think that would be a great way to prep Marcel Ruiz at an even bigger Brazilian club with a lot of stakes, a lot of fans. To be able to be positioned in that midfield and get into it would be a remarkable feat for the Mexican. But then I think the profile, the setup would be really good as well to then be able to make the move to a bigger club in Europe rather than going to a championship, a French league, or the Netherlands.

39:41I think that would be the ideal path at the end of the day for Marcel Ruiz. And I also think the profile, I think his style of play would fit better in Brazil than it would in the championship. Yeah, he's a crafty player. He's got a good skill set, good technique, good two-way player, but he's physically pretty big. He's a tall kid. He's lanky. He's fast. I think you can play in both, honestly. The one thing I love about both situations is the platform. One is the best league in the Americas, which is the Brazilian League, and you constantly see European teams plucking from there. The other is the championship where you're constantly going to be in the eye of the best teams in the world, like the Premier League.

40:15So I could see both being good situations for him. I just want to see him leave. I think that's one of the important things here is Mexican soccer. We so often hear how the teams hold the players back, how they don't sell them. I'm hoping the case is they sell them and the player wants to leave. A lot of star power coming to Liga Mekis right now. I mean, it's been quite some time. It's been quite some time. We can go through the names right here. There's Keylor Navas. There's Sergio Ramos. There's Angel Corea. James Rodriguez. Aaron Ramsey. there's all kinds of crazy talent coming to Liga MX which is I want to say new to Liga MX you've always had good talent coming to Liga MX but big names like that well that was like Major League Soccer on the tail end of the career or big names you can get that was on the tail end of the career Major League Soccer you have Messi you've got Busquets you've got Jordi Alba Rodrigo De Paul very easy very simple question which league can attract more talent which league is more attractive for talent?

41:13My first thought just goes to the MLS simply because of the locations. Like you just hear LA. Okay. If you were born in, you know, Tokyo, you know, you know what LA is, right? You think New York city, Miami, these are like international cities. Whereas I say Mexico only has one real international city, at least globally, which is Mexico city. So I would just say from fat infrastructural point of view, I would say the MLS is more attractive to let's just say the casual European star? I think it's MLS now what's more attractive, especially with Messi's presence in the league and the way that they cover him.

41:48The pitches, I think, are a little bit more nicer in MLS. I think the money that's being driven into the league is more promising. I think, though, there is something, though, that is bringing in these players to Liga and Mequis, which I still think is a competitive level of football in North America that maybe doesn't exist in the MLS. And I think that allure does have a strong power to free agents. I think And Keylor Navas is a crazy get, especially like that's a big name for Pumas to acquire. Incredible. But I do think it's because he still wants to play competitive football, be in North America, but doesn't want to, you know, go through all the ups and downs of an MLS type season.

42:23Instead, you get to go to the Liga and Mequis, compete with some of the biggest clubs and, you know, win some more potentially. So I think there's different aspects to both leagues. But overall, I would say MLS probably more attractive. If you look at the type of player that comes, that top tier talent, probably not going to Liga Mackeys. And it's because he's not looking for a competitive league. He's not looking for to still feel the football in his blood day in, day out. He's looking for Miami. He's looking for his family's well-being. He's looking for other things besides football. But there are the likes of the mid-tier and higher talent who still want to feel what it's like to play in a do-or-die situation and in a footballing setting and get paid well.

43:10Liga Mekis is net. MLS is gross. So you're going to have taxes on the MLS side. And listen, I moved out to Connecticut from California. Half my paycheck was over there. So there's that aspect of it. But when it comes to who can attract more, it depends what talent you're looking for. If you're looking for the top tier talent, they're going to win out in Major League Soccer. But that talent who wants to see a stepping stone, a trampoline and get paid well, very much well, can pick Liga Amekis for a variety of reasons. It's a good time to be a CONCACAF fan when it comes to Liga Amekis and MLS with the star power we have.

43:52if we had to access el gigante de concacaf the concacaf giant at the moment if we had to go ranking a five till we get to that giant how are we going and why start with number five does guatemala get into top five they were a top four team at gold cup is that enough to get into the top five i've got the mile at five i think the performance of the gold cup honestly for their second time in a row. They've really progressed over these last three years. I thought they play really exciting football, but also more importantly, they play really good team football. It's not an accident that Guatemala almost made the final.

44:26And I think if you just compare them to the rest of Central America, maybe outside of Panama, spoiler alert, and the rest of the Caribbean, especially with the massive failures of Jamaica, for example, I think Guatemala is definitely for me in that fifth spot. I think we're all in agreement. There's three teams that could fight for that top five. It's Guatemala, it's Jamaica, and Costa Rica. Who are you going with number five? I guess I'll give love to Costa Rica. I'll give them their love. They almost knocked out the USA squad. And similar to Guatemala, they just play a good, reliable style of football, man.

45:00Even though they are limited in certain aspects, I would say Guatemala is more free with the skill and talented players that they have. But Costa Rica with Miguel Herrera, I think, does have potential to get into that top five. They're always a fight. They're always a threat. They're annoying to play against. I think they got to make it into that number five position. Happy with Guatemala, though, because of what they represent in the fans. I'm going to hate myself, but I'm going with Jamaica. If there's one nation right now in CONCACAF that has unlimited possibilities because of the dual nationals and who they can recruit and who they can bring on board, like the type of star power, it's just too much talent for me to ignore.

45:34They've got more talent than the other team outside the top three, and they've always let me down but i will go with jamaica but at number four i'm going canada i think the way they showed out in this uh gold cup was very disappointing i think the momentum that they carry right now at this moment is very negative and i just think it was a failure at the end of the day what they went through the way the players played the downfall of schafferberg even man like the most exciting players aren't aren't showing out and not having alfonso dave was a big part of it and also missing a few key players but overall i think right now as of this moment Canada is in fourth place due to that Gold Cup performance man I'm putting Panama at four just simply because I do think this Panamanian team has a ceiling and I think that ceiling usually becomes very apparent when they play Canada USA Mexico recently they've had some success but I would like to see it maybe more on a year-to-year basis but I think if you are Panamanian though you are incredibly excited about this team I think four is like the best they've ever been and they've been for me at this fourth position for the last three straight years and it's all due to Tomas Christensen and his consistency and momentum that he's built with his Panamanian side they're starting 11 if fully healthy can go toe-to-toe with Mexico USA and Canada so that's what makes this team very very exciting I put him at four yeah I love what you said about the ceiling and if there's one team that plays to that ceiling constantly it is Panama because of Tomas Christensen because of how he's implemented a style a DNA there's a culture there I just think ultimately talent will win out.

47:05And there are circumstantial games that we can go through of why they've beaten other different teams. But if we're talking about program right now, I think they're the fourth best program, which hurts because I absolutely love to watch them play. Three for me has to be Panama. I think that they had one of the biggest absences at the Gold Cup, not having Carrasquilla with them. If they had had him, I think that's a different type of performance. So I'm going to go Panama three. I'm going to go Canada three. I'm just a little flip-flop here. The reason why I'm putting Canada at three is just I can't, kind of similar to your Jamaica take, I just can't ignore some of the top, top-tier talent that this side possesses, considering that there'll also be hosts.

47:43Yes, they've been inconsistent, but the way they showed out at the Copa America literally just a year ago I think is very promising. They were missing some big players in the Gold Cup. That's why I'll put them at three. Number three, I'm going to go with the U.S. men's national team. And it's tough here because I'm splitting hairs. It's like when you decide between the three, you know, Canada, the U.S., Mexico, it's like you're trying to decide between who the tallest Smurf is. So it's difficult here. But I look at the U.S. men's national team and it's very difficult for me to, with a straight face, just sit here and say, but look at the player pool.

48:14But look at the player pool. When they've let you down in countless tournaments, whether that's BC team, you know, type of tournaments that they play with the Gold Cup, whether that's the Nations League where they no-showed. regardless of the situation, the circumstances, the players that have been available to the U.S. men's national team, the Copa America failure where they became one of the first host countries to bow out in the group phase. Not even Bolivia did that. They did that, the U.S. men's national team. It's hard for me with a straight face to go on here and say, hey, they're better than two or three.

48:46I don't see that right now. I think they showed who they are when they played regardless of what had happened. So you have to say this is where they deserve to be. Can they be better? Absolutely. but I've got them at three right now. I think you kind of know what this USA team is, and it's just tough to ignore what's happened so far. It's been a lot of bad negative moments, which is why I end up putting them at two because despite the negativity around the team, they still make it to a Gold Cup final. They still have really good players. They still have potential. I wouldn't be surprised if they figure out the mess that they're in right now and build a little bit of momentum, whereas I would be a little bit more surprised if Canada or Panama are able to do that.

49:21For me, the USA is number two, but with a pretty large gap between them and the number one team. I have the exact same take. I don't have much to add there. I can't even disagree with anything you said either, Herc. But I'm still just going to put them at two simply because of the decent Gold Cup performance considering it was even a B team. So the fact that we made the final was great. And the rest is just pure optimism and hope. I think my number two here, and it's a difficult, difficult decision because I think all three programs are in a bit of a flux right now, an identity crisis. They're trying to regain their form, their identity.

49:58But I'm going to go with the Mexican national team. I think Mexico is a team that you look at what they have going for themselves. They've got la aficion. They've got the public. And playing at home and playing in Texas in the next round and potentially going forward in the quarters and beyond, they'll have more of a home setting that's going to be massive. But this is easily one of the worst generation of Mexican players that I can remember. You know, the player pool isn't as great. You've got players that we hope can take the next step. Mateo Chavez, Gilberto Mora, you know, players like Marcel Ruiz, Cesar Huerta.

50:36Can he take that jump? Can he be that player in Europe? But we've not seen that yet. What we have seen is players that are frustrated when they play against higher opposition, are frustrated when they play away from home, whether that's the U.S. setting or Mexico setting. I think there's a ceiling to this team and there's a ceiling to their manager. Their manager's got one way of playing. It's pragmatic. When he goes against better opposition, I think he reverts to who he is. And that scares me from Mexico. I've seen these mistakes come World Cup time from Javier Aguirre. So I'm going to put them at two.

51:09Wow. Heavy words there, Herc. Heavy, heavy words. But that transitions me perfectly to my number one pick, which is Mexico, which I'll basically mirror what you said. The complete opposite. The complete opposite. I'm very high on the coach, on his adaptability. I think it's a new Javier Aguirre. I think he's an old man who's learned his ways. He's managed so much. And he's realized, you know what? I need to adapt to the modern game. I'm going to do that with this Mexican national team. And now I've got Rafa Marquez with me, one of the greatest leaders of all time, helping me out. more limitations here than what we had in the 2010s with that crazy front three of Chicharito, Giovanni Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Héctor Herrera, Andres Guardado in the midfield.

51:46These were big, big names, big game players. I don't know if we have that, so I agree. There's a limitation on the team. I'm just more optimistic on what we can do with Javier Aguirre, the way he utilizes us, the tactics, the way we play, and the fact that he gets results, as we've seen under his tenure, winning big games for Mexico so far in the Gold Cup and finally defeating USA after losing to them so many times for the past six years. Yeah, I agree. The talent pool and quality is definitely low right now for Mexico. But the reason why I have that number one is because of the identity that Aguirre has established with the size.

52:17It's consistent. Yes, it is very pragmatic. I wish they did play maybe a little bit more of a fun offensive style of football. But I think right now in a grind game where it's end to end, nil nil, going into the 80th minute, I would actually trust Mexico's pragmatism to somehow find a result. Whereas I see Canada and the USA, low key, just kind of crushing under the pressure right now. And I just really like that defensive identity that Mexico has. I would trust them more in a really pressurized situation. I'm glad you brought up trust. And that's the problem I have with Mexico right now is do I trust Luis Angel Malagón?

52:53I think he's low on confidence right now. I think he's a goalkeeper that physically can get imposed. Do I trust that Raul Jimenez at 34, turning 35 years of age at the World Cup will still be the same Raul Jimenez a year from now. I don't know. Do I trust that Santi Jimenez is going to finally explode and be that player we hope he can be? I'm hoping so, but that's a lot of hope, right? So there's a lot of question marks there to that trust. I trust Jesse Marsh. I trust the Canadian national team a little bit more. Soccer, football, it's about the players, and they have players right now. They've got young players, dynamic players.

53:29They've got players who individually can create for themselves. They got players who, if they're asked to press the way Jesse Marsh wants them to press, can physically do it. They're pragmatic. And these type of teams, and we've seen it at the Copa America, they do well. They were in Argentina's group. They got out. They made it to a third-place game. I actually trust Jesse Marsh and this Canadian national team a bit more. I talk about CONCACAF's best players. Jonathan Davis is the best nine in the region. You know, Alphonso Davies, I know he tore his ACL, but if he's back anywhere near his optimum level, he's one of the best defenders.

54:05He's one of the best players going forward in open space. You know, you've got Kone, you've got, you know, good players. Not going to make waves at the World Cup, but they're going to be a difficult team to play against. I just trust this team a bit more in a tournament setting, and I think they're more adapted to a tournament setting. I've got less question marks about this team, if I'm being honest. That's why Canada's my number one. Can they defraud me like they did in the Gold Cup? absolutely you know and excuses are excuses but i could sit here and say well they were winning that game until jacob schaffelberg you know got that dumb red card and who knows guatemala did what guatemala should do and took advantage of it and guatemala deserve all the credit in the world but games like that are circumstantial for me there there's meaning to it so i just trust canada a bit more fair enough i think we'll have to prove it once again at the world cup mexico going on a run or who knows the host nations of usa canada do have the same opportunity herk it's been a pleasure man it's been an absolute pleasure i'm excited to do this more with you and we were just really excited about this collaboration always seeing you always watched your work so just thank you for this man and that was really really fun yeah a lot of fun to be with the give and go i've always seen you guys online you guys absolutely crush it i'm glad i got to know austin next time i'm in austin i'm gonna give you guys a shout you gotta show me where all the good taco spots are because yeah absolutely let's eat up guys thanks for having me appreciate it this is shooting it straight presented by camarena the most awarded tequila you can't punish leonel messi per league rules if you miss the all-star game you're suspended for the next league match mls actually suspended slatan in 2018 for skipping the game versus juventus he called it ridiculous said he comes from the real world where such things are not important let's be real the all-star game?

55:46It's a circus. It doesn't count. It's for show. How are there people really calling out for Messi to be reprimanded? Yes, him missing the MLS versus Liga Mekis All-Star game is a bad look. Your biggest star skipping your biggest exhibition. But punishing him? That's a worse look. This isn't just any player. This is Lionel Messi. The greatest to ever do it. At 38, after grinding through 17 straight 90-minute games across MLS, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the Club World Cup, he needs rest. And yeah, you feel for the fans in Austin. They showed out. They wanted to see the GOAT. Some still haven't seen him.

56:18But buying a ticket, it has never guaranteed you would see a specific player. That's the reality. Especially in this era, Messi owes you nothing. We're talking about another cash grab. That's what the All-Star game is. So punishing Messi for not risking his body and in meaningless show, that's the wrong play. You don't punish greatness for prioritizing longevity. You protect it. And I'm just shooting it straight.

56:42And with that, we come to an end of this episode of Vamos presented by Michelob Ultra, Superior Light Beer. Special thanks to Soltero Reynoso, the guys from The Give and Go, for joining us this week. Always appreciate the insight, some of the best analysis on CONCACAF. Do not forget to click on the MIB pod feed and smash subscribe. We need you. If you have any thoughts, recommendations you'd like to share, send them my way on my many social media platforms, at HerculesG on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Blue Sky, all that good stuff. Don't miss any episodes. You can catch us here every single Thursday on the Men in Blazers Media Network.

57:10Vamos! you