USA vs Türkiye post-match reactions, featuring Big Cat and PFT: Night Cup 06/25/26

22:04Why did no one do that? Drop to their haunches. It's not over. Joe Scully says. Kyle might be able to tell me that this is complete nonsense. I think the manner of defeats really matter. So if that had finished 2-1 to Turkey, if the US don't throw that equalizer and the game had kind of petered out and Parcher thrown on players, very obviously it'd be like, here's 10 minutes of running around. I think by the end, it would have felt like such a non-event that the result wouldn't really have mattered. because they lost in the 99th minute after the seven minutes of injury time were up, that's instinctively like a hammer blow to your confidence, isn't it?

22:37And I think it's that rather than the result. I think it's the manner of the defeat that hurts.

22:41Rog:I think it does matter. It really does. I think optics and tactics. I mean, I don't expect the United States to win every World Cup game. That's hilariously simple to say, at least the men. But the love affair that's built between this team and the widest possible audience, we've seen it. across America, Hartford, San Jose, just America exploding. It's been put on pause. We can't take that for granted. Instead, a dose of reality has descended upon. It's muted tonight. We're here in downtown LA. I see that there's 10 ,000 people at this watch party. It was silent when we came out to get on the king of buses.

23:24Rog:You've got to keep the widest possible audience entertained. Just like on TikTok, you've got to keep them hooked. and then the switches in personnel i want to ask you kyle we broke our rhythm is rhythm just something you can just get back you flick a switch okay we're starting it again does momentum and rhythm is it just is it an at will thing in a tournament you got to earn it you got to earn it so they're going to have to get back you know work hard but nothing's going to be guaranteed you know you got to go do it in that next game in that round of 32 we can get it back there isn't There is merit to the blood-in-the-mouth argument.

23:58That is a legitimate thing in football. If a team is stunned, they have something to prove. Narratives are what you make them. So there's every chance that... Look, it's possible at the end of this World Cup, there's like a big post-mortem, and we all say, look, it was when Coach Poach made all of those changes that the US kind of fell apart, and it cost them the momentum. It burst the bubble. That was a mistake. It's also possible we say, what was the score against Turkey again? Can't remember. So that is also possible. But if they don't beat Bosnia, no one cares about this.

24:30Rog:I hope you're right. We now play Bosnia 100%, 8 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday, July 1st, in Santa Clara. Big game. Tease up bigger games. Please, God, to come. Carl, just very quickly, because I want you to pull this together, how a World Cup knockout round game is mentally different to the group games that we've experienced? Yeah, I mean, I think, especially with this game, when we're already qualified, we got the first place, and they don't. they have to play for pride or they're not going home. I think there's, you know, the game is such small margins of wins and losses. And if that meant the mentality is just a little off, you know, that's the difference.

25:05And I think that might've been the difference tonight. Now when we're going into the round 32, you know, there's nothing, everything's on the line. So everybody's going to be super focused. You know, it definitely, you know, the nerves and those types of things, because if you lose, you're out. And everybody wants to go on and you want to keep enjoying this ride. But like you said, the blood in the mouth is something. You're going to have a reset. You're going to get back to really focusing in. You're not going to be thinking how great we are when you're winning all these games. So I think it's a great reset for us, and now we've just got to go get that momentum back.

25:41Before that Belgium game, to take your mind back. 2014. In 2014. Obviously, the last group game, you had something riding on it, so that was, in effect, like a knockout game. In Germany, we lost. Yeah. Before Belgium, it was that noticeably different within the camp. Could you tell? A World Cup knockout game is such a big thing. Yeah, I mean, it is for sure. But when we're sitting in there with Ghana, Portugal and Germany, every game was a knockout. So I think in a way it prepared us for that to be mentally ready. So there wasn't that much of a difference. But yeah, you know, this World Cup is just a little different in that sense, you know.

26:17Rog:Rabbi Hyman Christoski in the chat says we charge forward like Teddy Roosevelt's ref riders. Because, Carl, last question for you. I'm going to let you have the last word on this game. You made a beautiful point to us tonight about a United States advantage that I wasn't thinking about when you said it. Just leave it with us because I think ultimately it's the thing that makes me possibly understand why Poch did what he did today and how it's going to play in for what is clearly, in his mind, more than just a short journey ahead. Yeah, I mean, you know, when they decided where we're going to play and pick in L.A., Seattle and back here in L.A., now you've got another game in Santa Clara.

26:58You're talking we haven't even touched any humidity. We haven't touched hot, hot weather. We haven't been to altitude. And we're going to come up to teams. Obviously, Bosnia, they were up there in Canada, which is hot and humid. So, you know, I think these first games being in the places they are could help us in the long run.

27:16Rog:Amen. I mean, you said that we're going to come across some teams that are better than us, but they're just done and dusted because of the exhaustion, the travel, the heat, the climate they played in. And we played in, who would have thought we were the host? We played in really short hops, perfect climate. Please, God, we have preserved dry powder for all that is to come. Kyle, I just want to thank you for being with us throughout the group stage. You are an icon of mine, which I think, you know, I adore you. and to have you on this bus. It's been the true joy of the World Cup so far. It's been such a pleasure of mine.

27:51It's been awesome hanging with you guys. You're an amazing human being. Appreciate you guys.

27:55Rog:Huge, huge love. Go USA. God bless. There you go. It's here for Kyler. And now his watch is done. I love that, man. You have a great trip. Thank you, baby. Let's quickly blow through the rest of the action, the lesser action at the time. same time Paraguay nil Australia nil slugfest in the worst way between two of the most goal shy teams in the tournament Paraguay Almironas after the hand covering mouth gate both teams tried to counter it was choppy it was combative Australia happy to do the biting into tackles thing Paraguay very happy to do the fall on the ground thing Socceroos dominate possession but neither team could score oh god Paraguay would not be beating Australia by the four-goal margin that could mathematically secure Scotland's path to the knockouts, but it was goalless.

28:50Rog:Australia are through. Paraguay will... Probably. Probably, probably. And that groovy thing, 206, says, hi to the next guy next to me on the light rail, assuming that two people are watching this crap in the same light rail car is very, very sad. I love you both. It's probably my mum on that light rail. Earlier this morning, Ecuador 2, Germany. Oh my God. One what? We were told Ecuador were dark horses before this began. God, that is a curse of death. Second in qualifying. Their dreams are shattered. The late loss to Ivory Coast. The Curacao limp draw, which felt like death warmed up. We know the players are good.

29:28Rog:Pacho, one of two Champions Leagues. Hincapié bared his buttocks in the name of Premier League glory. Moses Caicedo, a total clenched fist. needed to win to survive. They hoped Germany would go second string. Germany didn't. Germany didn't. And they scored up in two minutes to Sané Drive. That felt a little like it should have been Vardov for a high foot in the build-up. But it felt like game over. Ecuador limp. But then they fired back. Aggressive high press. One possession. Really beautiful goal. Nilsson and Goulou cut inside. Open up his body. And with Ecuador's 40th shot at a World Cup, 40th time lucky really disguised low curl it was brilliantly delivered to the legs of Pavlovich Ecuador threw everything forward as if they kind of thought Undav would score so they'd need to the way they were playing their press was ferocious you couldn't tell if Germany were just kind of mailing it in a bit and Ecuador ratcheted up the pressure wide open and the winner Plata had just slapped off the post after a Rudiger and Neuer cock up.

30:38Rog:That goalkeeping giant, he's looked very human. Foreshadowing, corner, wicked curl. Rodriguez flicked on. You had Neuer coming out to claim it like granddad. And Plata just stretched his leg, flicked it like a pinball flipper. 55 ,000 Ecuadorians in MetLife went ballistic. Yeah, that goal was a bit of a dagger blow for Scotland. And that is, I won't lie to you, Rog, that is how I'm watching those games. But the Ecuadorian fans, deserve to be in this tournament. I loved the scenes. Look at that. And I can't say his name properly, the coach in the middle there. Oh, I can. Sebastian Bekacheche? Bekacheche.

31:14Bekacheche, the Conmebol Cobain.

31:17Rog:That's amazing. Did you come up with that? No, it's from a friend of a friend. That's amazing. I'm taking credit, Roger. I'm the first person to say it publicly. I love it. He ran around like a wild man trying to grab another person who looked just like him in the ground. Who they say opposite to track. He's like in love with himself. Yeah, but him, that clambering up like the grandstand at MetLife was amazing. To find another natural blonde. Ecuador, the draw with Curaçao was bad. Ecuador are good. They qualified really well in South America. They have been one of the form teams in Commonwealth for a long time.

31:48They've got quality everywhere except up front. Goals are a problem. They go to Mexico, I think it's definite now, to play Mexico City. They're waiting

31:57Rog:on other results before they book a flight, I think. But that, I think, is the likeliest. That is a really tough draw for Mexico. I couldn't agree they could be the sleeper hit of the round of 32. Germany and Boston face a third place team. Paraguay looking most likely to follow Australia and Sweden. Somebody wrote on Blue Sky, I've never seen Germany wear blue before, to which Mary Murphy wrote, following Scotland while euthanising them. I feel. That's poetry. Curacao nil, Ivory Coast two. Curacao, tiny Curacao, reveling in the experience amongst the big dogs. It was very moving, watching their fans belt out the national anthem marching through Philadelphia.

32:38Rog:Oh, it's just stunning. Before the game, I love this. Just singing the hymno de Corso, the national anthem. Savouring every second, aware that it was going to be a short journey, but one that they will remember their whole lives. Tears again from their manager, 78-year-old Dick Advocate. Tears of a different kind, six minutes in, when Ivory Coast cracked the defence open. Yandir Man, panting on an atrocious attempt to play out the back. Pepe ultimately scored twice. Elu Room, the hero, beaten twice before he made a save. Ivory Coast Qualify tied on six points with Germany. Their reward, round of 32, meeting with Norway or France.

33:15Rog:Murr, tough. Japan won, Sweden won. Sweden entered needing a win to guarantee. Japan only needed a draw. If it could match or better the Netherlands resulted win the group. Narrator's voice, they would not. Second half goals, this came to life. Beautiful, beautiful if you've not seen the Japanese, a kaleidoscopic team move, a 56-minute with Ritsu Dwan. Geometrically perfect pass. Borderline, honestly, Pythagorean. I wouldn't know what that means. To Dyson Mayarda, buried his chance. But then Anthony Alanga picked up the ball in the Arlington suburbs and just monstered it home. Sweden, Alanga is an unstoppable force.

33:55Rog:Newcastle, Alanga. Do you know what, Roger? I thought that was one of the weirdest stories of the Premier League season a bit of a kind of low-key one that he made so much sense as a signing and he was he was awful yeah not awful really just really disappointing for newcastle he's a really good player they've got they've got they're not not great sweden their manager has a cowboy hat yeah no it's a bad move it's too much didn't win this over no it's too much yeah your culture is not his costume yeah the pull on the cob piece then we'll be like okay you're trying wear your assless chaps yeah come on the they do have a cutting edge sweden they're not absolutely good team yeah but in a langer Birdval, Ayari who's been brilliant this tournament, Izak and Jokerez, they will cause teams problems I think Sweden's ex-opportunity could be one of France Norway, Germany, Mexico or Switzerland Japan go to Houston to face Brazil a lot of Japanese in Brazil that's going to be quite a cultural battle of human wonder Netherlands 3, Tunisia 1 Tunisia, side they've had I think twice as many managers during this tournament and they've had goals pulled up to Kansas.

35:00Rog:Scenes in Kansas City. God, can we just celebrate this? This is America, man. Overwhelming to anyone with allergy to high-vis fabric. Just an invasion of orange, of orange love. Wow, just remarkable, these images. The match was about goal difference, consolidation, could put themselves atop of the group with a company-winning margin. I love Zlatan's new bespoke segment, The Jungle. He called Tunisia a wounded team playing for pride. Get it like a lion. He loves predatory animal metaphors. They didn't get at it like a lion. Netherlands, just... I mean, what's the point of talking about it? Tunis, you've set a record, Rog.

35:40Rog:Go on, what is it? They have been behind for the most minutes a team has ever been behind in a World Cup. That's really good, Irve Renard. You seized every moment of screen time to stare pensively through the rain. He was so erotic today. I love him. Netherlands, God bless, getting it done. No drama. Big orange train. now headed to Monterey to take on Morocco on Monday. That is a tasty game, bro. That is the game of the round of 32. And what's really impressive is the Dutch managed to win despite Virgil van Dijk having to talk to James Corden last night. Did Virgil go on Corden? I believe so, yeah.

36:11I won't lie to you. I didn't stay up to watch it. But apparently he was exposed to Corden and has survived.

36:16Rog:It's must-see TV is all I'm going to tell you. A word from our friends. At 14.40, the 2022 World Cup final drew 1.5 billion viewers. It's 11 times this year's Super Bowl. To understand how football became the world's game and what drove it, listen to 1440 Explores with Financial Times journalist Simon Kuiper, who will give you the inside scoop into the depths of the tournament. Listen to 1440 Explores wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Matchday Live Tour.

36:57Rog:These 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. From Taco Night in Tulum to sushi in Tokyo, every bite is rewarding and post-worthy with Amex Gold's four times membership rewards points at restaurants worldwide.

37:36Wherever you dine, points are piling up. So bring your friends along for your next course because it's not all about the posts. It's about the company and the memories. How can gold from Amex sweeten your next food moment?

37:49Rog:Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash Explore-Gold. Terms and points cap apply. Okay, talking about Mercy TV, it's time for our guest on the day. Turkey can tell their children forever that they played the 2026 World Cup champion and beat them, the only team to do so, in that historic United States march to victory. It's amazing to bring in two gents from soccer. It's been a bit like the overseas sitcom that comes on TV after your favorite drama's over, and it's incredible to bring them on. There's a pair of great Americans. I'm still feeling bullish on this U.S. team, and they are the greatest double act in sports since Latan and Lalas.

38:35Rog:From Podden My Take, it's Big Cat and PFT commentator. What's up, boys? Are we allowed to swear on this? we gotta echo you tell us fuck yeah there you go how are we feeling about America opening wide for some soccer tonight

38:53Big Cat:I thought that the team looked like absolute dog shit tonight the first half it's pretty clear how big the gap is between our starters and our backups especially along the defensive side I thought it was fine you know what it was a we could look at this as a tune up as a preseason game nothing to be worried about we're on to bosnia but we looked like shit in that first half i want to congratulate turkey on winning the relia quest bowl uh i'm sure they got a nice pair of sandals and you know a gift card to target for this listen raj you know you know us pretty well when we lose we only have one option that ref was terrible he was absolute garbage and i think we can all agree it yeah

39:39Rog:I mean, it's just the only two. What are the talking points on the man? Exactly. If he calls a fair game, we probably win that 4-0. It was also too late. The start of the game way too late.

39:49Big Cat:It was too late. The circadian rhythms were all thrown off. Too late. Too late. The circadian rhythms were all out. You could see that from minute one.

39:56Rog:Potts is very, very highly attuned to the circadian rhythms. Before this game, what's it been like for you to watch this? Well, the U.S. men cook, really. it's something i i've not seen in since 1950 yeah i think it's uh it's not just that we're

40:16Big Cat:winning games it's that we were doing it in a style of soccer that's entertaining and that is is exceptionally entertaining to watch and requires a lot of skill like we're not doing the old school stuff where we're you know willing the ball over the goal line trying to scrape together a one-one draw against a vastly superior opponent we were we were clearly the best team out there for those two games for the entire game. And that's something that we don't really see that much as fans of U.S. soccer. So the team does feel different. I'm not worried. I'm actually not worried about what happened tonight because that lineup is very different from what we're carrying forward.

40:51Big Cat:It's clear that we don't have the depth that a lot of teams have. I'll give you that. Like when we have to go to our bench, it's not pretty when it happens. And we've got – we had some guys starting like Gio Reyna. He's great off the bench, and I think that he's an impact guy that you can bring in. I don't know when the last time that he ran for 90 minutes straight was. He probably has never done it in his life. That was tough to watch with some of these guys. But overall, I'm still not worried. We got Bozzi and Herzegovina.

41:17Rog:It's like week 17 in the NFL when you're saving your boys for the playoffs. Is that how you guys are analyzing? Yeah, exactly. Explain it away. It basically was going into this game. If we win the game, we're the greatest country and the greatest soccer country that's ever been created. And if we lose the game, we blame the refs and we say we weren't even trying. It's a win-win. You know these games happen.

41:39Big Cat:You know that that ref stunk, though. He did. He was very one-sided. Also, we might be too tough. That might be our problem. Well, except Tim Way. Tim Way, maybe not. That was a tough night. Get your way up, Tim. I think that Zendaya's getting hit in the testicles and then bouncing up immediately to prove how tough you are. Just stay down, dude. Like, that's the most direct nut shot that I've ever seen in my life. and Turkey felt emboldened by that. They attempted like four more nutmegs afterwards. Just stay down and listen, we live to fight another day. That's God telling you, like, take a break, young man.

42:13Big Cat:Hit the locker room, ice up.

42:15Rog:We had Chris Richards on the show two days ago and he said he wanted, everyone wants the team to be, quote, overly American. And I didn't understand what that meant until you've just described what happened to Zendias' testicles. That's overly American is what you're saying. And that is the, that's the pride that we, that's something we can be proud of.

42:35Big Cat:That was a direction that ball contacted a brace of testicles, just like, boom, both of them swole up immediately. You stay down. You listen, we're not as, as tough as we act as Americans. I will say that like, it still hurts when you kick us in the nuts and it's okay to admit that. Yeah. There's certain biological things that are just transcend nationality, you know?

42:56Rog:Yeah. You know what? i don't i've i don't don't do not know if that is true about the russians but i need to ask you i think he says how has the world cup been experienced by your audience because i know it's always a love hate thing i'm thinking it's a little more love every single world cup cycle like there's been a lot to love about this tournament in the united states i don't know what has surprised you about it well our audiences i mean we're sports fans at the end of the day Like whatever, if there's a ball on a field, we're going to watch it, especially if we can bet on it. We were actually talking, though.

43:34We did find the one thing that we have done wrong as a country in this World Cup, and it was on full display tonight. It's the fact that we don't care about seeing all these celebrities. I don't care about Leo. I don't care about Ashton Kutcher. The World Cup is about, excuse me to both of you, fat, sunburnt English dudes with belly tattoos. old men crying and extremely attractive women that we are from from foreign countries and we're getting absolutely none of that because they want to show us brad pitt hanging out with edward norton i don't want that so we have screwed that up we need to fix it it is how most americans

44:15Big Cat:learn geography right that's how i found out where croatia was last world cup yeah it's do you know as an englishman it is it is weird how many celebrities are shot during US games, that does not happen normally. It's like a really noticeable thing. Like, oh, look, Edward Norton.

44:31Rog:You guys do it though, man. That's the Knicks. It's like, you notice that. In English football, when something happens, good or bad, the camera's cut to the largest looking man with the most offensive chest tattoo around his nipples. That's the shot we want. we want misery we want some we want to feel better about ourselves by looking at the sadness that's flung on the screen in america the knicks it's like an incredible moment josh hart doing whatever josh hart's doing and we get chalamet cut to kardashian right cut to jerry seinfeld cut to and like there's no human emotion left in american sports we've got to look at i hate to look at yeah it's terrible because that that is one of the beautiful things about the world cup is that you get all of these you know stories in norway and everyone rowing and uh who are you talking about who's standing still the guy from congo from congo yeah like these are these are what we want this is what gives like the fabric to you know and the color to to the world cup and instead we're just seeing all these celebrities like get them off our screen so we apologize for that we're too obsessed with celebrities if we were controlling the cameras you'd see nothing but fat gross americans and uh really nice rags yeah exactly i mean here's your point though that this world cup it's more than about the football it's what has made americans really fall in love you can make the case that the tartan army have done more to grow football in america than david beckham and and leonard messi yeah i think you don't need to to like football to like the world cup there's so especially now just so much of it is consumed on tiktok and instagram and stuff that you can engage with that stuff just as like cultural moments like you you don't need to know anything about like the offside law to think it looks cool when the scots annex boston and turn it into scottsachusetts like that's that's something we can all enjoy unless you're english yeah it's the same with like yeah with like the brazilians dancing on south beach or you know the ecuadorians on the rocky steps like those are the moments fifa won't tell you this but you don't need to spend a thousand dollars to enjoy the world cup you can do it for free right yeah right and it's What I liken it to, the World Cup is most similar to our March Madness.

46:50And what makes March Madness so great is like the indelible moments that are seared in your brain is, you know, a Villanova flutist crying her eyes out as Villanova loses the game. A kid like screaming in horror. A guy, a man dressed as a Colorado State Ram, like sad as could be. That's what the sport is about. It's the real fans. So we need more of that. That's what this World Cup, I think, has brought out nicely in the off-camera stuff, like the Tartan Army and all these in the Norway fans taking over Times Square. And I just want to party with the entire country of Netherlands because those guys, everywhere they go, they're just listening to EDM and just taking down 10 pints at a time.

47:34Big Cat:Is it the same song? All I've seen from the fans from the Netherlands, they listen to the same song over and over again all day, every day, and they love it. of it yeah that is that not the entire business model of edm yeah it's just the same song yes no but big cat big cat's right like that that is a big mistake that we're making broadcasting these games it it's a little bit much like people that do not care about the teams celebrities that maybe you haven't heard of in 15 years we don't need to see that on the screen the one guy you know big cat was talking about the guy in march madness dressed up as the sad ram i think back to that one that sad brazilian fella yeah gripping on to the the world cup trophy in the 7-1 yeah hold in the 7-1 defeat which also like maybe curacao is not that bad right because 7-1 might be a mark of a good team he was holding on to it and he was just weeping just just crying and you could tell that real human emotion he was having human emotion an existential moment that's what

48:27Rog:we want to see you knew man and when i saw you 100 days out from the world cup in chicago um you turned around to me and said you know what i'm gonna this was you pft you said i'm gonna spend time with the scottish fans um you told me then you you thought they were gonna win the world cup you were right i do think they've won the when this world cup is remembered in like 40 years time as all world cups are people remember like messi what he did people remember like ronaldo what he didn't do they'll remember like you know whatever american storyline happened and also and it was the world cup for the scottish fans what have you seen in them because there is something

49:05Big Cat:really beautiful really beautiful yeah i think i think just their organization has been fantastic that's that's what impresses me the most sometimes it's like how organized yeah the logistics that they map out on different places to get drunk and it's it's impressive because they like they must have a phone tree or something where it's like okay i'll call this person you call the next guy and then everyone mark if you're going to be rsvp yes no or maybe and it seems like they've got a headcount everywhere they call ahead to like the pubs that they're going to go to hey just uh wondering if you have room for 70 drunken scots you do okay great we'll go there like they do seem to plan everything out and uh and seeing them at 11 down in miami that was something special too yeah the guys in the kilts climbing up and down the poles yeah this is pretty awesome this is great this is exactly what the world cup should be i'll say this is exactly what the world needs yeah like overall we need more of this because the more turns out the more you hang out with people from other parts of the world, the more you like them and the more you enjoy the rest of the world.

50:03Big Cat:We need more of this. And we had this discussion on pardon my take as well, because I think with the World Cup being in our country, we see this come up a lot like U.S. men's national team and the fans of the U.S. men's national team. We have to have chance and we have to have all this. We got to stop trying to copy like European soccer culture. We have our own culture. We need to do the things that we do we have sec football like we have these things that that we are so good at and yet we're trying to to rhyme you know all of our players names with a song from the 80s like they do in england just perfectly off the top of their head no play play some play some metallica let's let's just like you know everyone everyone wear black and let's just try to scare everyone one i'm i i think that's absolutely right and wouldn't necessarily go as far as metallica but i think the one thing that that means that those chants work and when you see like a european or south american stadium singing it is genuinely like hairs on the back of your neck stand up right but it's just it's just it's authentic right because that music means something in that context yes the usl has to find its thing we've said this before about it might be country roads it might not be there there will be a song that can kind of get america everyone in america knows the words to

51:21Rog:that's really important i think it's going to be hooty and the bluefish please don't let that's fine in the bluefish but on a serious note every third the else has got their thing scots have got like their bagpipes norway's got the rope i mean by the way with the sec schools there will be norway rose being done in some you'll work you'll know yeah i mean the netherlands the orange bounce into the match we do need something to announce ourselves pre-match we need a thing i I don't know what that thing is. I don't know if you guys are familiar with LSU football, but it's the best experience, you know, a Saturday night in Death Valley, and they play a song called Neck, and the song basically just goes, oh, and then you say, suck that tiger dick, bitch.

52:05That's what we need. That's America. Can I give you guys another gripe? Can I give you another gripe while we're in the gripe zone? Suck that pure sick. suck that pulisic kick yeah there we go there you go it's a pg-13 version yeah yeah there you go

52:23Rog:clean up for the kids you're gonna get a lot of royalties for that one give us a marching band let's get a marching band out there let's do the penn state whiteout but here's another gripe for you guys i know that this is now turning into the gripe zone from us this is great incredible world cup but we saw you're solving problems yeah we see we see a sport and we're like oh we could fix this and it's not the actual on-field play but what the hell was germany wearing today that should be illegal. Why is Germany dressed like the Miami Dolphins alternate jerseys? They should. You can't do that. They do this in the NBA and we gripe about this where you turn on a game and you're like, am I watching the Pacers or the Heat or the Nuggets?

53:01Yeah, they're in the city.

53:02Rog:Germany were wearing their City Connect jersey. What are we doing? It was the NBA Cup. It was a World Cup jersey. Yeah, unfortunately the city was Dresden. What is that, Raj? When I turn on the World Cup, I want to see the traditional colors

53:17Big Cat:of your country that is a good spin zone for us because if you look at it we look back at this game against turkey tonight it was our b team and we were wearing like some blue bullshit uniform that we're never going to wear again i we can forget this is a really easy game for us to just kind of wipe away and move on from i think that this kit the uh the red and white stripes that needs to be the united state like when you look at a tv and you see the red and white stripes that's the united states that needs to be like our traditional our traditional color stonewashed

53:44Rog:stenden though guys and that's great yeah i actually think we should only wear seersucker like not even the high performance fabric it should just be like the seersucker but you're moving into like the american-ness of things you guys just had tim ream on suggested he starts throwing up four fingers after the water break yeah yeah quarters you got quarters in the world by the way the commentator is now unironically being like and in the third quarter i'm like what is going on i mean we're like tv timeouts two more you know shot clocks i believe we are possibly just four years away from being so american that chris collinsworth is commentating on the world

54:20Big Cat:cup yeah i get tony romo in there trying to figure out if somebody's off sides or not yeah listen the the fourth quarter thing um that's that's something that's a very important part of american culture if you played high school football if you weren't very good your Their main job was to be like the first guy. Hey, it's fourth quarter. And you know what that means. Let everyone know. You know what that means. Let everyone know. And then the other team, it was a race because if they beat you to the forwards and you felt like they're more prepared for the fourth quarter than we are. And that was usually a nightmare scenario.

54:52Big Cat:But there's a lot that we can lean into when it comes to American sports. I think Inner Sandman would be a great song to run out to. I think, yeah, having a marching band that is part of the game, I think that's a good thing. I mean, we let South Africa hand out French horns to everybody that walked into the stadium. We can have a small section devoted to a marching band. Yeah, we get cowbells. We can do it all. Freebird, as the whole song. We need more Freebird. That's my fix for everything. But Tim Ream was great on the show, and he agreed. The quarters thing, the hydration break is ridiculous.

55:25I think we can all agree. And the fact that they don't stop the clock, and we just sit there, and it's like three and a half. I know it's added back on, but it's just, it's so absurd that this has become a thing. And they'll be like, oh yeah, it's, you know, 72 degrees in LA tonight. We're indoors. Hydration break. Okay. Someone's got to sell those adverts. It's important. To be honest, after 22 minutes, I've been watching football for 40 years. After 22 minutes of football, I've always thought I'd like to see someone tell me about Powerade.

55:55Rog:I'd like to see some of Christian Pulisic's acting shops. I enjoy his work on Wells Fargo immensely. They played Enter Sandman in Seattle. Oh, they did? They played it just before they came on. They listened to your show, man. Just wait till Johnny Infantino hears about the Turducken. I do think FIFA will be, FIFA is going to be changed forever. I want to ask you a couple of quick ones to come back out through the US team. I mean, I've got to say I feel a little bit better just listening to you than I did at the final whistle. um your audience like have they got have you felt like they've gone from like not caring about football whatsoever to now blazing group chats with heated opinions about the risk of sitting tyler adams in the third game you know how they can show is it is a vernacular is it starting to filter through or is there still work to be done i mean there's definitely some work to be done but

56:47Big Cat:i i definitely think that a good amount of our audience is excited about the world cup and and most of that stems from the fact that we had two great games to start out with like if the U.S. came out first game, lost second game, draw. It would be more of the same like we've seen in the past. But I think a lot of people are interested because the U.S. has been playing well. So right off the bat, I do think, and the fact that it's in the United States too, we're seeing a lot more people that are following everything that's going on than we have in the World Cups in the past. And then talking about Pulisic today, everybody was wondering, should you start him?

57:21Big Cat:Should you put him in? Should he be a sub? And I was telling everybody, no, under no circumstance, is do not let this man onto the field tonight. And then I realized that it was my deep-seated hurt that I have stored deep in my subconscious from Robert Griffin III that was telling me, like, you don't want this guy to play. I think actually having him play was probably the smart call and getting him back in the room. But yeah, to your original question, I do think that it's transcended a little bit. Yeah, we're having a moment. And we also are getting the benefit of, there's nothing that we love more than having a good old-fashioned who's the goat debate.

57:55and Messi-Ronaldo, it's not really a debate anymore because it's Messi so clearly, but it is great to have that debate and have two entrenched sides knowing that, hey, my side's not going to move, your side's not going to move. Messi could score 100 goals in this World Cup and Ronaldo could run around and do nothing and there still will be Ronaldo fans out there. So that's fun. We're having fun with that. Yeah, Messi's been in the US for the last two and a half weeks. that Messi has won that by a mile. You see so many Messi jerseys everywhere. It's an MLS star.

58:31Rog:Messi commercials. Ronaldo is not selling you chips. Ronaldo is not selling you beers. Ronaldo is not selling you credit cards. Yeah. I mean. Yeah. Rog, did you ever think that an MLS player would be leading the golden boot halfway through the group stage? Because that's what's happening. I did. And I thought his name would be Alexi Lalas. So that was just my mistake, man. I always, I always hope you last. I think he's always, I say, what, Messi, we've had, we had Marshawn Lynch on the show the other day, and he just was going off with great poetry about Messi, like with wonder and reverence. And it's almost like people who don't even like football, Marshawn does, but like people who don't even like football, just adore Lin, like they look at him and they're like, they revere his almost tiny man, massive biblical scale achievement.

59:21Rog:what do you see when you see this little dude he looks like he's wandered out of super cuts and then he's just my god doing like biblical savagery

59:28Big Cat:I do want to push back on one thing that Ronaldo is not selling any products when I see Ronaldo I do get a hankering for some of that sweet Aramco oil I gotta go fill up on some of that I gotta empty out my gas tank and get some of the good stuff in there but with Messi when we watch him play I mean the first word that comes to mind is goat yeah he's just a goat he he's undeniable he's unstoppable he's created he's thinking five steps ahead of everybody else at all times eyes in the back of his head like he's a wizard it's it's it's watching something even if you're not a soccer fan and you watch messy it's like that test of you could sit anyone down and be like hey watch this game and then tell me who the best player is it's like it's like watching Steph Curry where you just know you're watching something special and yeah he might be walking around for half the game but i i mean you guys can tell me if i'm wrong i don't know soccer like the two of you but like he the way he's looking at the game thinking about the game almost downloading how the game is going and then boom it's like a burst out of nowhere it's like he's got the angles he's figured it out all those all that walking around you see that as him doing nothing he's doing a lot and it's like a mini computer that he's processing okay here's how i'm going to attack and then it happens in a flash you're like what what just happened?

1:00:45How did that, how did that happen? And it's, it's unbelievable to watch. No one is ever more alive. We said this before. No one's ever more alive than Lionel Messi 30 yards out from goal with the ball at his feet. That is when he, he, you see those moments and you can see him just totally right. Like he does walk around. Like he, he's kind of not really in the play quite a lot of the time. He's, he's figuring stuff out. He's kind of working out where everything is going to, to, to how it's all going to end up. He sees how it plays out. And then the ball comes to him invariably comes to him 30 yards out.

1:01:12and it is as though he's 19 again. I watched him play when he was 19. It's the same movement. It's the same speed. It's the same kind of, just this sense of someone who is completely alive. And it's amazing to watch. And I think with the NFL players who all love Messi, greatness recognizes greatness. That's what it is. They might not, I don't know if Marshawn Lynch is the greatest tactical kind of understander of football, but he recognizes Messi is so gorgeous, perfect at what he does. and someone who's played sports to level Marshawn has understands what that takes he said he saw

1:01:46Rog:Barry Sanders in it is what he said yeah it's just really really beautiful man really it's the entry it really is the entry point to a lot of sports where if you don't understand the sport but you can recognize it just jumping off the screen of like that's special that's different

1:02:01Big Cat:yeah that's it's a beautiful thing to watch I always thought it would be there'd be a lot of pressure to be Messi's teammate not because you want to make sure that you know he accomplishes much as as he's able to in his career but it's almost like he's going to put the ball in the right place are you going to be making that run at the right time to receive the ball where you should be because messi's going to put it there you know like you almost have to level up how smart you are as a player to try to think like messi it's so funny they all love him man he's

1:02:32Rog:not a shout out they all love him and they all like want to lift him up there are other people who I'm not going to name, who are shouters and do kind of embarrass their teammates. What you've just described is also true for Caleb Williams. I've got two quick ones. I'm going to let you go because you've been beautiful and you made me feel so much better about life, football, the future of the United States in this World Cup. I'm going to say some words. Just shout out the first thing that comes to your mind when I say these things. We're going to run to them very quickly. You ready for this? Here we go.

1:03:00Rog:U.S. men's national team.

1:03:02Big Cat:uh when i see the u.s mnt i just said u.s mutant ninja turtles u.s do you guys see that when you see the mnt i can't stop seeing it i don't know how they

1:03:14Rog:lose so much then if that's the case hydration breaks money yeah commercials money tartan army the best the absolute best like i want to die and become a member of tartan army when i when i become reincarnated it's a scottish guy it's a scottish guy getting his scalp burned in miami that's what we've seen we've seen the afterlife freddie la7 oh freddie la7 oh i gotta take about it complicated yeah all right so i i have a take about freddie la7 because we live in such a terrible cynical world and this guy pops on the scene and and the first couple of days everyone's like this is such a great story and then it turns into oh he's a psyop and he's you know government funded and everyone's trying to find a way to make this a bad story let the guy just enjoy it let's like it's okay like let him have fun if he wants to go and say that eastern ohio is beautiful god love him so i i think we people are too cynical and they always try to find the worst part of everything just let him have it's It's a psy-op, but it's a good psy-op.

1:04:26Roger's really cynical about it. I agree completely. I think the best thing about Freddie LA7 is that he's not revealed his face. He wants to go to the games unblasted. It's not, man. It's nice. Roger, just let him enjoy. I am now. I am.

1:04:44Big Cat:I've been told. When you first saw him, you liked him, right?

1:04:48Rog:Yeah. Yeah, I did. Waffle House smothered the cupboard. I'm like, man, yes, I did like him.

1:04:53Big Cat:So you've just evolved. Study LA 7 hasn't changed. It's more about you. How did you forget what it was like to walk into a Chili's and have them hand you bottomless chips for the first time? Oh, my God.

1:05:05Rog:The color is somewhere in right. You're so vain about me. That's what you're saying.

1:05:09Big Cat:You forgot what it's like to sit down at a Waffle House counter and have JJ Watt make you an omelette. Yeah, exactly. This is simple pleasures. Zlatan. Zlatan. Yeah. That's it. I'll tell you what. He's got a lot of nerve. He loves Zlatan. He's got a lot of nerve talking to Alexi Lawless like he's better at soccer than he is. Can I just say something about Zlatan? And this is how this dynamic has worked. And, like, I'm not the biggest Alexi Lawless fan, but the way they were treating him got me so, like, riled up that Zlatan has not scored a World Cup goal. Can someone point that out? Alexi Lawless should drop that in his face.

1:05:53Be like, hey, man, you were awesome. How many goals did you score in the World Cup? Oh, was that zero? Because it was zero. Just be like, same. Yeah. Yeah. We're not so different. Hey, you know what? I've scored as many World Cup goals as far. The worst thing that ever happened, by the way,

1:06:08Big Cat:is for people to find out Alexi Lawless' politics because I hated him before. Like, this has nothing to do with politics. We should all agree to hate the man's commentary regardless of how he votes. Right. don't let it is not for what he thinks yeah right exactly yes exactly let's not make this political

1:06:28Rog:yeah i'm still we've got yeah we have idiots everywhere you're bending my brain on fred daily seven i mean my last one my last one was lalas but i feel like you've you've done it

1:06:39Big Cat:already and i should say for the record my my uh deep-seated hatred of alexi lala stems from uh george mason university in the year 1997 when i was a ball boy for the u.s men's national team for a week of training and i asked him because i i saw that he had a guitar i was like what kind of guitar or what kind of amp do you have i i just got a guitar too and he said i i have a crate and it's really good and you should buy a crate i went out and bought a crate it's the worst amplifier that you could have possibly purchased and he told me with a straight face i come to find out years later, he had a sponsorship deal with Crate.

1:07:15Big Cat:He was trying to make money. They were paying him off that. I bought the worst piece of equipment I've ever bought. I didn't have the money to do that, Alexi. You had money to buy whatever you wanted, and you told a little 12-year-old PFT, buy this terrible amplifier, and it set me back, frankly, five years on my playing.

1:07:30Rog:Good job you don't carry grudges, but you did say this to his face, didn't you, recently?

1:07:35Big Cat:I did on the Wake Up Barstool show, yeah. We hashed it out pretty good. We agreed to disagree. We moved forward. look at that does he still have a deal with crate i not anymore not the way that i made him talk

1:07:47Rog:about it the chat is going mad at high desert 945 in the chat is one of many saying oh no not a crate yeah i think yeah i think there were many victims last question for you you incredible human beings 1994 world cup in america until today actually it's just changed from today today they beat it but it was still the most well attended world cup but it was like a circus that came and went how do we know for sure this will be different and how big do you think football will be in 30 years time sport of the future are you saying American football because that's that's going to keep getting bigger and bigger you know the night the soccer yeah it's it's it's baby steps I mean this has been an awesome tournament it's so much fun to watch and the storylines are incredible and i hope that it builds momentum uh but knowing this country listen when when week one nfl comes around that you know listen that that's that's king that's the best

1:08:47Big Cat:thing that's the best thing that the world cup could possibly do uh is make sure that you'd stay out of the way of the real sports yeah last last world cup when they played it in the middle of our football season it's like what are you doing it gets our undivided attention yeah and and we love it but i mean the real answer is i think 1994 that's when i fell in love with international soccer as as a young boy in the united states that world cup made me interested in international soccer so i think that in you know 30 years you're gonna have a lot of other really dumb young kids that grew up to root for the u.s men's national team giving their uninformed opinions wildly on whatever broadcast they have at the time so we're gonna see that it's gonna grow exponentially in that circumstance we will have a you know in the us making out of the the group and hopefully winning some knockout games it'll increase soccer's profile in america for sure so we're moving forward yeah as long as we can keep pickleball down we're happy because pickleball is the worst sport of all time we can all agree on that i don't care i will say in 20 years in 30

1:09:50Rog:years time in that america that you've talked about it will be beautiful and tim reen will still be playing. Still be chugging along, leading this team to almost glory. I want to thank you both. You've met Rory who's the best of us. It's a joy to hear your voices. I want to thank you for inserting football for a couple of minutes on occasion throughout this World Cup. It's more meaningful than you'll ever know. Huge, huge love to you both. And that Caleb Williams interview was... It's coming tomorrow. We got a new one coming tomorrow. Caleb Williams. coming tomorrow, yeah. Pull in surprise. And by the way, 30 years from now, you'll be hating on Freddie LA's children, so good job, Raj.

1:10:32You cynical jerk.

1:10:34Rog:At least I'm consistent, okay? Used to be a virtue. I'm big, big love, guys. Thank you, thank you, thank you. What a pair of proper, proper gents, Raw. They are absolutely right about Freddie LA 7, though. You need to kind of allow the positivity back into your heart, Raj. I need to do it from my heart. Yeah. That's dead, man. It's dead and Turkey killed it tonight. But football don't sleep, bro. Tomorrow, you and I are flying to Philadelphia for a Saturday. Match day live. You know what time we're waking up, right, Tom? Please don't tell me. 3.45am. No, no, no, Rod, we're not. We're leaving at 3.45am.

1:11:11Are we really? Yeah. Oh, my God. And I do not intend to do it in my pyjamas.

1:11:14Rog:Oh, early bird catches the six-game World Cup days or whatever it is. So let's get into it. Pair of Group I matches start the day tomorrow. headliner leaning forward Norway France I'm interested proper heavyweight battle Erling Haaland Kylian Abappe Ali Fraser Godzilla Mothra maybe even Lord Byron John Keats Roar absolutely that's what Erling and Kylian will be talking about yeah they'll go to it's like Ode to a Nightingale or GGFO and they'll get sent off it's pretty it's an epic rumble yeah it's one of those where there's not they're both qualified it matters where you finish obviously in terms of your pathways but also they'll both want to make a little bit of a statement against a team that certainly France obviously are a contender.

1:11:54I think Norway could go really deep so it means something to both.

1:11:58Rog:When a reporter asked Haaland for his thoughts he said they're probably going to win against us they're probably going to win the whole tournament. Stay humble. I think he was bluffing didn't you? I thought it was. Yeah that's not how Erling Haaland operates. Erling Haaland does not think that France are going to beat Norway. No. Yeah that was total. Erling Haaland thinks Norway and to win the World Cup 100%. Yeah, this match on the side who tops the group, both have won their first two games and Holland and Mape tied on fourth so far. But this is going to be the best opposition by some stretch that they have faced and probably will face for a moment.

1:12:32Rog:Also, our thoughts are with France man Didier Deschamps, whose mother passed away earlier this week. He's flown back to France to attend a funeral until he returns. Le Blue will be coached by his assistant, Guy Stéphane. Kicking off at the same time, Senegal, Iraq, some line-on-line Valencia. The Lions of Taranga against the Lions of Mesopotamia. Winner gets the trademark. Expectations are high for Senegal coming into this. They'd won the AFCON on the field. Not so much in the courtroom, but they're on the verge of elimination. Back-to-back losses. For the first time, we've endured off-field chaos.

1:13:09Rog:Players unpaid bonuses. Coach Papa Chow's contract dispute from protests. even over the number of tickets are allotted. On the field, it's not been better. Koulibaly said, every ball I touched went wrong, which is just such a beautiful piece of poetry. It's haunting. It is. They've been unlucky in terms of the group. Does France and Norway both very good? But as you say, it's been a chaotic campaign. I think they will beat Iraq and I think they will get through. In Group H for Don't Get Humped, Uruguay, Spain, who's coached Louis de la Fuente, said it's crazy to question this team. I think after a 4-0 slice and dice to Saudi Arabia, only Vizinha is questioning them anymore.

1:13:48Rog:Uruguay, two disappointing draws. Another bad result. We're about to see truly the saddest album cover headshot of Marcelo Bielsa. A loss in Uruguay had done. A draw and he might squeak through, possibly to face England in the knockouts. Nothing, a sprinkle of Darwin Nunes madness can't fix. He's tightening his braids as we speak. Then we're on to everyone's favourite team for eternity, eternity aka the past 10 days the mighty cape verd who face saudi arabia interesting yeah and a real a real chance it was ridiculous as the cape verd story has already been roj there's a pretty good chance they get through i think they're better than the saudis the saudis did not look great against spain cape verd have got this incredible kind of emotion behind them a draw would probably take them through because i think spain will beat uruguay uh a win would definitely take them through, that would be amazing.

1:14:39Rog:Cape Verde's coach, Barbista, said there's something we owe to other smaller national teams. We're here to show a country may be small, may struggle financially, but if they are resilient, if they can endure struggle, they can stand shoulder to shoulder with major teams, major players are on another level. It's honestly the Cape Verdean Tony D 'Amato, and I wonder who's going to play them all in the movie, which is sure to be forthcoming. Saudi Arabia drew with Uruguay. Cape Verde have a 0.05 chance of winning the tournament. Oh, I love those. That's a lot of percentage. Yes, Chris Richards, that's a lot of percentage.

1:15:13Rog:Then in the late slot, Group G for Geronimo. Cruel irony. Egypt, fresh off the first ever World Cup win against Iran. Now allowed within the United States for two full days before a game. That makes me sad. And it's in the Pride game in Seattle. Two countries where homosexuality is prosecuted. there's a crime. FIFA ruled it will allow rainbow flags in the stadium. This is where we are now. Who knew that FIFA might come out of Pride Month looking better than the San Francisco Giants? All I know is in the Venn diagram between fans of Mo Salah and heated rivalry, the common denominator is abs and just let love rule.

1:15:55Yeah, well, obviously it's absolutely right that FIFA should allow Pride flags in. It's quite sad that there was even a question about it, to be perfectly honest. I think from a football point of view, this is a real opportunity for Egypt. Iran have been pretty good in their two games. They're unbeaten. And given the circumstances in which they're playing, regardless of where you stand on the issues that surround them, I think as a sporting achievement, to draw those two games has been really impressive because they have been operating, as Mediterranean, the captain said, several times. They are operating under different conditions to everybody else.

1:16:27I think Egypt will know that if they win this game, they go through and for that football-mad country and the greatest player it's ever produced. That's a real incentive. Yeah.

1:16:38Rog:The other game in that group, New Zealand, Belgium. Jeremy Doku back. Lovely to see him back with all that joy. He just missed the group's second game to witness the birth of his first-born son, beautifully named Praise, in London. That's the heavenly Belgium on the field. They've been terrible. Both teams need a win. Loss will send them home. Draw will leave them in Scotland's precarious purgatory. How is your purgatory? Your dream? Hanging by your thread. I love the tweet. Did Scotland beat Brazil? No. Did Scotland fight and scrap and be first to every second ball of all of their life? Also no.

1:17:16Yeah, it wasn't a great performance. And they are, I think, I mean, the odds now of them going through were very, very slender. I think they would need, so tomorrow, Rog, what I want is Spain win, Cape Verde win. I think I want an Egypt win. Don't care what happens in the other game. and then it will come down essentially to, it would be ideal if Senegal didn't beat Iraq, but I think they will. And then I think it will come down to the Congo Uzbekistan. Oh, that classic clash.

1:17:41Rog:And before we move on for those who prefer to have your football in written form over a cup of coffee, you can get a deep dive into all the World Cup happenings with the Men in Blazers newsletter. I love it. We put it out seven days a week. It tells you all you need to know about the action. Maybe even a few thoughts from me. Bite your arm off for just a few. If you've not subscribed already, Please do it. Share it with your friends. Give it a look. Link is in the show notes below. You already know what's left, Roar. It's time for what everyone suddenly believes. That needs its own theme music.

1:18:11Rog:Before the match tonight, the US gents had a 20 % chance to make the semifinal, 38 % chance to reach the quarters, and 22 % chance of going out in the round of 16. But look at the realities now. It doesn't look as pretty as it used to, Roar. simple question, does this loss do anything to change your ultimate long-term prospects for the US boys? Not really. Not materially, Rog. I think they'd already locked up the group. They've won the group. It doesn't change who they play in the round of 32. I think that is not an easy game, but it's not a Morocco-Netherlands kind of nightmare game. You'd have taken it at the start of the tournament, I think, if you'd said, in the round of 32 the US will play Bosnia.

1:18:51You'd probably have said, OK, I'll deal with that. I won't choose what's in the box. I still think the quarterfinals are the most likely outcome.

1:19:01Rog:Oh, I still maintain we're going all the way. 5%. What would Chris Richard say? He'd say it's a lot of percentage. A lot of percentage.

1:19:11Rog:Okay, it's time for the food. European mind cannot comprehend. And in honour of Coach Pochettino, Coach Poch, we've gone to his favourite food in America. It's Chick-fil-A. Have you got all of it there? So here are some fries. They look like crinkled cut. Rog, don't do carbs. I'm just like, they're cold and it's just not worth it. But this is interesting to me. I've heard of Chick-fil-A. Yeah, if you don't know what it is, yesterday Coach Poach had a great quote saying, of America, people have no healthy food. Yes, you've got the healthy food, but you also have the Chick-fil-A. It's amazing. My question is, has he tried a Malibu mango Irwin smoothie?

1:19:50Rog:But Roar, let's get in here.

1:20:04Rog:Okay, this is like a citizenship test rating Chick-fil-A, so be very careful. Someone's on a visa. I want to hear from you. Tell us now. I'm going to guess you're going to give this a 7.5. Not far off, Rog. But a little bit higher. Go on. It's a 7.9. Oh my lord, where does that snuggle in? 6th or 7th, I think. That is it. It's not as good as Ross Scales, man. So that is a really nice chicken burger. Yeah, that is better than your, I don't want to criticize anybody, any small businesses, but you know the guy with the little bolo tie and the mustache who's got a chicken thing? Mr. Colonel Sanders.

1:20:43One of the great military minds of our nation. Colonel Sanders, who's in charge of several regiments. I think that is a better chicken burger than Colonel Sanders produces. That's ridiculous. But at the same time... His military manoeuvres are defeated. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't put Chick-fil-A in... I wouldn't get them to invade a beach.

1:21:02Rog:Yeah. But that is... It's really nice. But it is at the same time still just a chicken burger. Potch has just spoken to the media after today's loss. Tom Berger tweeted, Merchant Potch here doesn't want to talk about momentum. We kind of have to, Potch. He said, I'm happy. Maybe I'm not showing because your questions are a little bit weird. I'm confused. Maybe the vibes is like we go home tonight and Turkey stays in the World Cup now. Ooh, chippy. Yeah. Bit chippy. Oh, hold on one second. Colonel Sanders versus the Tartan Army. Who wins? That's very interesting. Well, I think we've established over the course of the last two nights that the battles are won logistically.

1:21:44Yeah. And the Tartan Army have managed to get loads of traffic cones over to America. I know, I can't believe that. I think they take it logistically. I think they kick. Also, in Britain a couple of years ago, KFC ran out of chicken.

1:21:54Rog:Did they really? It's a problem in their business. Come on, Coach Poach. Let's end with one of your letters. You know, we end this with your love letters to the World Cup, really. The best of your journeys, your experiences, your memories. Drop us a line, MenInBlazers Discord, or send us an email, meninblazers at gmail.com. This letter comes from GFOP Katie. It's really beautiful. Raw, do the honors. You enjoy your Chick-fil-A. I send this photo in as a special reminder of how football is what makes something so special. My dad was at the Brazil USA match on July the 4th in Stanford 32 years ago when he bought this jacket.

1:22:30It's a classic. He was born in Portugal. Tudo bem. But from the moment he landed on American shores, he was red, white, and blue through and through. Even in an era where rooting for Portugal would have been much easier and slightly less heartbreaking. He shared that love with me and I've been obsessed with all things US soccer for as long as I can remember. I lost my dad in 2022, but did inherit his jacket. and felt so proud I could bring it back to life in Seattle last week. I know I'm not alone in having brought folks with me to the stadium in spirit, and it was so meaningful to bring a second generation of American love to the World Cup.

1:23:02Let's go win this damn thing, right? Much love and courage, Katie and Luciano.

1:23:07Rog:Katie, that is a beautiful letter. It really, really is. My heart goes out to you for the memory of your father, Luciano. I know the pain of losing a father, one you've shared many beautiful memories with my dad died july 4th two years ago so it's coming up and that bond that i have with him through football is so deep um all of you parents out there taking your kids my wife took my kids to the game today i always say to them you will your kids will remember this forever this memory of the football but also of you um i hope you think about that every time you wear the jacket savor it savor these memories and yeah let's go and win the world cup send us your email send us your postal, I will send you a patch.

1:23:51Rog:Can't wait to raise a pint with you on my next in Seattle. Final note, we're officially heading east tomorrow morning. Time's on change, Rog. I can't wait. A long residence on the west coast coming to an end. We're going back to one of my favourite cities, Philadelphia. Fourth stop on the Matchday Live. We'll be in the quite gorgeous Spruce Street Harbour Park this Saturday, June 27th on the waterfront, 3pm Eastern time. Come be with us before Croatia take on Garda. Ru and I will be joined by another stack lineup. You've got World Cup champion Sam Mewis is coming. We've got Italy's iconic striker Super Mario Balotelli and Eagles royalty Jeremiah Trotter, the Axeman.

1:24:32Rog:It's going to be the most important day in Philadelphia since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They don't like to be hyperbolic. After that, we're going to Atlanta next Wednesday, July 1st. Founders Green, come be with us. Honestly, pre-match show of shows. We've got a couple. I can't tell you the level of talent we've got in Atlanta. It's going to be hilarious. Are you ready for that? I'm slightly worried about what Team 1 versus Team 2 means, Rog. It means we do not know what we're talking about. Right, okay, fine. How's that? I'm very much looking forward to Mario Balotelli live in Philadelphia.

1:25:06Rog:Yes, words, feelings, poetry. Fireworks. Maybe. Four, baby. On that note, Rory, we'll be back tomorrow from Philadelphia. 1am Eastern Time. Time change works against us, friendo. Come join us on the YouTube. Magical moment from our Matchday Live right here this evening. One lucky fan did something incredible. We do a Marriott Bonvoy Take Your Shot Challenge. If you can get it in the circle of life, you can win tickets for the World Cup final. And with Rams legend Todd Gurley coaching him, mighty man Rubicel did this. This is Rog saying, let's not take a second of watching football together for granted.

1:25:44Rog:cheer up America I feel better after being with you big big love and courage roll tape

1:25:55Rog:for your dad baby do it for your dad come on baby here we go

1:26:15Rog:Oh, let's go! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! Let's hear it for Remus out!