USMNT 0-2 Portugal reactions with Clint Dempsey: The Deuce LIVE 03/31/26

22:20You know what I mean? And I feel like some of those guys maybe played a little bit scared, maybe didn't take enough risks. But it was a tough task in terms of the competition that they were against. But that's what it's all about, to test yourself against top competition.

22:34Rog:I think we're in a fascinating place. I want to get to listeners' questions because people are lining up and I want to make sure that we focus on that. I've got a couple more before we do. I do think we're in a very interesting place in this cycle, interesting in a complex, in a subtle, in a very nuanced place. And this could go either way. Look, Pochettino's tried to change the culture of this team. He did it by either having the big names not turn up or holding them at arm's length, bringing in new talent to prove to them that they were dispensable. you know, trusting the likes of Sebastian Boehol to Max Arston, Freeman, you know, his guys, his young guys, like he did at Spurs when he got rid of the high paid players and went very young.

23:14Rog:They won. But this was the Gold Cup. This was CONCACAF. This is the distortion mirror. He's now playing big teams and he's seeing his young guys, you know, good, but not great. and I think it's a really interesting moment for him about whether he sticks or he twists with the guys that he started to believe in. How much does he believe in them? It's a really tough thing. I can ask you one question. Ultimately, I think I saw for the first half hour today and this is what I'm pleased about, an identity that can work if we don't lose our focus, if we don't switch off, which is a big if for this team.

23:51Rog:We're an athletic, speedy side, or we can be. We're a team that can play compact football. We can spring forward at pace. We don't need possession. We don't need to do this razzle-dazzle. We don't need to be the bloody Lakers. We don't need to prove ourselves to ourselves. We are. We're essentially at our best, I think, international Leeds United, which is not a bad thing to be, because international football is by definition much uglier than the club game. And it's about results, not about style points. No, for sure. I mean, you got to earn your respect to play, right? And the way you do that is you've got to be tactical, you've got to be compact, and then you've got to pick and choose your moments when to get forward.

24:29And once you score and punch someone in the mouth, you know what I mean, then they start getting on the back foot a little bit. Maybe it allows you to play a little bit. So until you get the respect of your opponent, you've got to be careful how you do that song and dance. And I think maybe we're still trying to figure out that right balance for ourselves in terms of being able to make the most of the team that we have. But there were some good things that I saw from both of those first halves, even though, you know, when I was 1-1 and when we were down 1-0, there was still a lot of good things I saw from both of those first halves from the Belgium and the Portugal game.

25:06But the second halves, I mean, it's nothing to write home about. That is for sure.

25:10Rog:Okay, two quick questions before we get to the beautiful line of callers. Atshad Hussain12 in the chat wants to know who are the biggest winners and the biggest losers from the past two games. So let's get into it. Who won in this camp? Let's look at that one first, Clint. Who won from these two games? I think Weston McKinney. I think he's been our best player in Europe, and that form continued as he came into the national team. So I think he's definitely a star for our team and is a must-have in our lineup. So he's someone I definitely think his stock went up from this window. I think my straight answer would be the player his stock went up most in this window is probably Diego Luna.

25:57Rog:God bless. Sometimes, sometimes I do. I think back to like Hercules Gomez, missing a game towards the end. and then ultimately being rewarded by playing time in the week and making that late run into the World Cup squad. I wonder what he was feeling watching these losses at home. Godspeed. Who lost in this camp for you? I mean, unfortunately, I would say Matt Turner. He's a great guy, and he did really well for us during the last World Cup qualifying cycle and also how he played in the World Cup. I mean, some of it, you're at the mercy of the players that are in front of you and how they defend.

26:40You know, he still made a few good saves. But when you have five that are dropped on you in a game, that's never a good look. And I think the last time he started, I don't remember the game, but I think three was dropped on him as well. So you got to feel it.

26:56Rog:Yeah, it was four. Four of the game. So that's nine goals in two games. that's never the stats you want to see as a goalie. So unfortunately, I would say he was a loser in this one. Yeah, I mean, I'm looking at the chat and the opinions there. Jordan 2736 says, Chris Richards and Austin Trustee run, Tim Ream lost. Yeah, I mean, these are now flooding into the chat. I think the Tim Ream question, Potch values his leadership, values his experience. I mean, today, watching Trusty, watching Chris Richards too fast, too strong, too mobile, it just removed the vulnerability in the back. That's going to be fascinating to see how that goes.

27:41Gracie and Anthony Robertson back. God bless. God bless that man. Shout out to my Fulham brother.

27:48Rog:Yeah, to your Everton Youth Academy product brother. That's how he likes to be now. We are now just 56 days away until the US announced the squad. No more games between now and then. So many questions still to be answered. Our earnings through Dialogue 932 says, let's not dream. Let's just bloody perform. One note of business, before we get to your questions, Turkey A today booked their spot in our group with a win against Kosovo. They beat us last June in Connecticut 2-1. The game, Clint and I, live stream with Kyrie Irving. Do you remember that one? Our first one, right? Yeah, yeah. You were amazing.

28:26Rog:That was the best part of the game was laughing with Kyrie. Or was it Chris Paul? Was it? You know what? Who were we with? You're so busy. It's tough to keep up. I can remember Jack McGlynn scored and gave us a hand. That is right. That is right. That is right. I think Cam Jordan too. Oh, my God. Oh, Clint, you've got a steel trap, man. I'm going like... I who's in the chat, says Turkey's wingers can go toe-to-toe with almost any nation. Yeah, the last trip to the World Cup ended with a beautiful run into the semifinals. I think it was 2002. I mean, incredible footballers are. The Gula from Real Madrid, Keenan Yadiz of Juventus.

29:11Rog:I mean, they are a talent-soaked squad. I think we thought we were going to meet them. So here's who we are going to play in the World Cup. Friday, June 12th, Paraguay. Opening game, then Friday, June 19th, Australia. Thursday, June 25th, we will be playing Turkey 8 in the final game. So I do want to know, Clint, ultimately, every team in this group thinks every other team in this group is beatable. That's what's so funny. Tell us, Clint Adalmas, how are those three games going to go? Put us out on misery. Spoiler alert. Well, first of all, I think it's crazy. People were celebrating about the group that we got, right, and the potential teams that we could be playing against.

29:52And if you look at the games that we've had against them, even though they're friendlies, and that's different than playing in the World Cup, we have a 2-1 loss to Turkey. You have only a 1-0 win versus Paraguay, and you only have a 1-0 win versus Australia. So the only thing it shows you, it's going to be a tight freaking group, man. It's going to be so important to get off to a good start, try to get as many points as you can, keep the best goal differential you can. I still think it's a group that we can do well in. and with the format, I mean, worst case scenario, you have eight third place teams getting out of the group.

30:23So if we don't get out of the group, Lord, please help us. I think I'm going to go into a Great Depression. So we'll just have to see.

30:31Rog:Lord, please help us. We'll have to see how this goes. But I think it's going to be tighter than a lot of people thought when we first got that draw. So what's it going to be, Paraguay game? I mean, I can't tell you how it's going to be other than it's going to be really tight. But I would like to think we're going to beat every team 1-0. Oh, my God. I love you. I would love that. I would love that. Win the group. We win every game. Keep three clean sheets. And we have three different scores. And we have confidence going into the round of 32. That would be my ideal situation. I think we beat Paraguay.

31:05Rog:Christian Pulisic off his testicles doing his thing again. We draw against Australia. We lose to Turkey. And we go through third place. It's going to be like 1994 all over again. Potch talking right now via Kyle. But by the way, you'd bite your arm off for it, wouldn't you, chat? Getting through. Get through. All the business. Potch speaking now. Kyle Bond from the Sporting News says, Potch has just said, I'm more positive than I was before. We are not far away. It's only details we need to improve. When we match the opponent and the ideas we need to match, we will have the possibility to beat them.

31:40Rog:These are very cryptic comments. You blame the second Portugal goal on having so many substitutes. people didn't grasp their role on the corner. That's what happens when you've got 11. Dude, Raj, all we have to do is score more goals than our opponents and we win. That's it. You may be the next US coach, a logic like that, Clint. Very quickly, congratulations to one American winner today, Esmir Bacar Trevic, who converted from the spot, passed on a rumor to send Bosnia and Herzegovina to the World Cup in 12 years. It was a delirious scene. The winning penalty taker grew up in Wisconsin. Think in Appleton.

32:14Rog:whereas Bosnian-born parents emigrated. He played for the US in 2024 and then switched to Bosnian Hudson VNATS, who he wanted to play for tonight. Must have been magnificent. Let's cap tonight with your questions. There's a ton of you. I love you all. We're going to get to them here on YouTube Live. Scan the QR code or hit the pinned comment in the chat. Come on up and tell us where you're from. Unmute when I call your name. Let's start with you, mighty, mighty Patrick. Tell us where you are. And what's your question for Clint Dempsey? Raj, Clint, how's it going, fellas? I am calling from Brooklyn, New York.

32:52Rog:My question is to Clint and Raj as well, honestly. I think Clint, for obvious reasons, Raj is the prolific mind behind bedside classics like Reborn in the USA. But I'm curious, Clint, specifically your take on pre-tournament form, kind of the importance of pre-tournament form versus, you know, what it means to be clicking during the tournament. I think about games like tonight versus, you know, going back to 2014 when you played against Portugal in the tournament and, you know, longing for a Jermaine Jones cracker, which was unbelievable to watch and maybe even a Clint Dempsey crotch goal. But either way, just curious to hear your take on kind of what it means to be clicking prior to the tournament versus how much more important it is to be really coming to life during it.

33:48Rog:What an incredible question. Great question. Really, really, really the question of the day. What does friendly form running into a tournament tell us? But like, do teams find, you've been in World Cups, do teams find their very being in that journey in tournament play? I think that's a great question, man. I think it's a balance that you have to find, right? You want to test yourself against the best and make sure that you're prepared as best as you can when you get into the group stage, that you're not going to be surprised by the quality that you face and the pace in which the game is played.

34:23But also, you also want to have that confidence, right, for whether, you know, keeping clean sheets or whether you're scoring goals. So that is such a tough balance to find. But with us not having to qualify for the World Cup, I do like what they've done in these last four games and picking the most difficult friendlies that they can find to best prepare ourselves for, you know, for the group stage of the World Cup. And let's just say we put on two great performances against Senegal and Germany and get a win or two and get a shutout and get some goals. I mean, I think that that will put us in a great spot.

34:58But like you said, I mean, if we don't play well and it's two more losses and four losses on the bounce going into the tournament, that's not really ideal. But what's crazy, bro, is like the World Cup is anything can happen. And in the group stage, you can find form. There's plenty of times that teams have lost their first game of the tournament and go on to win. I mean, look at Argentina in the last World Cup, losing to Saudi Arabia. So that's what I love about the game. You don't know what to expect, and sometimes things happen without rhyme or reason. So I'm hoping good things happen, and we're going to keep knocking on wood that they get it done.

35:36Rog:Patrick, I love your question, man. I really, really do. I really believe the World Cup is ultimately an odyssey. It's a journey. It's an ecosystem within itself. The teams come together. They form their chemistry. Who we choose. Potch talks, and a lot of coaches do. You're not picking the best individual players, but picking the best 26 as a collective, not just as footballers, but as human beings, as people, so you can build a culture. And then, I mean, Clint, you've done it. You almost go into like a camp. It's like monastic settings. You're kind of all there, bored as hell, often, the footballers.

36:12Rog:I mean, it's so bloody boring, right? Is it boring or do you find a, you know, can the camp find some kind of, You've seen in recent England camps where they actually make it so bloody joyful for the players, as joyful as it can be. And the players find their own rhythm, their own culture. And the Germans have a word for it. I was just Googling it while Clint was speaking. It's a turnier manschaft, which means like a team with the ability to come together in tournament play. Like that first game, the Germans often do it. Not so convincing the first game. you find a way second game still not great you get out the group and then boom you found that clinicality you found those sharpened teeth it can be very different spain when i was a kid i write about it in my book often would blow teams away first game five nil five one you know oh my god they're the greatest and then the first time they took a punch in the face they were just gone uh as if they weren't there so that that reality i mean clint did you feel that that you you guys would find a rhythm you'd find a way you'd you wouldn't really click um until a couple of games into the tournament no no for sure i mean there's two things right there's a culture that happens when you have to go through that world cup qualifying process your backs against the wall and you're fighting and you know you're battling you know to get results that to get into that world cup right there's there's something special about that that brings the team together there's another thing that happens once that final roster is selected that you're like everybody can breathe you know what what you got the team that you're gonna go with and it's like you're able to come together even more and everybody's excited about this dream this journey that you're about to go on the odyssey like you described of you know doing something that not a lot of people in the world get a chance to do especially not on home soil uh and and truly do something special so I just feel like that's going to be the moment.

38:12Once we got that final roster and you get to see them in those two friendlies before the World Cup, there's going to be more of a cohesion there, I think. And like you said, once you get into the tournament, things can really start to build, right? You can be on the outside looking in and you have special moments that take you into knockout stages like last minute win versus Algeria or being able to get out of the group of death in 2014 and playing against Portugal, Germany, and Ghana. These things bring you together, and it's like a slow burn. When you watch March Madness, it's not about who starts the fastest, but it's who gathers steam at the right time, like what you see in playoffs.

38:58But unfortunately for the teams that I was on, even though we built that up, the only time that we ever truly got to the final was the confederations cup and uh and hopefully these guys will be able

39:09Rog:to do something special yeah the germans always have a word for it turn the man shaft may that be our way let's go to evan um you you beautiful human being and come on tell us where you're from and what your question is for clinty hey guys um my name is evan and uh i'm calling in from leon Spain. I stayed up late for this because it's the Mano Santa here. And I have the day off. What's the Mano Santa, Evan? Holy Week. It's Easter week. Oh, yeah. How the pens? That's Portuguese. Go on. Yeah. No, I have a couple of big questions for you. Up the toffees first of all. The effing toffees. Yeah, why can't we have a midfielder like Jamie Garner?

39:59in the US team yeah

40:03Rog:why can't we have a deep lying passer who can really pick teams apart we do have one Tyler Adams but he's not playing yeah I mean he's a destroyer Tyler but I mean Tyler's not I mean that deep lying Tyler's not it really grinds my gear that we don't have a guy that just gonna what I feel like throws down on the line why don't we create deep line power we don't have pikemen in the US what is it about the way we're bringing our footballers through Clint as you lived it I have a feeling if I can say something and maybe this is something that is probably wrong of me to say we're combining too many cultures and I think it's great that we're doing it but the Spanish cultures I love playing against Kukureya.

40:57He's great because he just blows up the line and he's easy to pass through. I've been singing the Elton John song all last week.

41:04Rog:God bless. I love you. That is a theory. But you came through, Clayton. You saw you. You know, we create a number of things. We create shooters. We create goalkeepers. We have, God, we create goalkeepers, strong centre-backs. um you know we create pacey um you know fullbacks now uh in terms of our options but that deep lying guile filled passer is a very difficult thing for the americans to have the guy that can unpick the battler the opponents from deep yeah like being like a quarterback you're saying yeah spraying and opening up the game um yeah i mean i think there's a lot of different types of players that we're missing in the states you know what i mean you're missing that person that has that vision that's being able to pick up those passes to teach them the proper technique of how to put the right weight, the right spin on the ball and the places on the field where it needs to be placed.

42:00Also, the runs off the ball that you need as well to trigger the passes. But I mean, you're missing players that take risks in one-v-one situations when they have a man that they can beat in space to go down the line and not take it. And you have too many players that I think play the same style that just play simple. Don't get me wrong. There's a beauty in it, right? One of the best, most simple players of all time is Carlos Valderrama, who I love to watch play for Colombia. But you also need Ronaldinho's. You know what I'm saying? You need the players that are able to unlock the game and create and do things that other players can't do, right?

42:41And I just think creativity is kind of coached out of players. They more care about possession rather than, you know, taking risks and creating chances on goals. So that's just my little thing that I think.

42:57Rog:I agree with all of that, man. I mean, ultimately, in football cultures where you're playing all the time, you have the ball at your feet, you're playing informally like you did, you know, playing just like in that godot jist. Like you do create that kind of sense of space and rhythm. And listening to Eberichi Eze talk about growing up playing football, streetball, which he still feels he's playing even in the Premier League. We don't have that culture. We have a very formal coaching culture. You're right. It is coached out. That's part of the problem. And I think this – go on. So, no. The thing I was going to say, what I noticed from my kids, like club soccer, right?

43:31You'll have three training sessions a week. But it's like sometimes you need to do things that are different than what you're doing in your training session, right? You need to have a pickup where you're playing with kids and you're trying anything and you're not having anybody tell you what to do.

43:45Rog:Learn the dream lessons. Go out and express yourself. Go out and try moves that you're watching on YouTube or you're watching on social media. And then once you can do those in a pickup setting, then guess what? Try it in a club setting or try it in a Hispanic league setting. The more that you can try things somewhere else first on your own or in pickup or what have you, then try them at the highest level, then that's what's going to give you confidence to take those risks and try that. And unless the training sessions that you're having with the club team are involving a lot of one-on-ones and two-the-one situations, then you're not really creating those moments in the game that you're going to have to face.

44:25Too many times, I think teams play too defensive. And for example, you have two center backs, but no one's ever really man marking. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, everybody's like, no, no, no, I need help. Double up. Sometimes you got to defend one-on-one. Sometimes you got to take people one-on-one. I just don't see enough of it personally.

44:44Rog:Yeah, that improvisation and key moments, learning your own lessons, learning to trust your own instinct, which is ultimately a lot of your game. I mean the other element very quickly is that when you have pay to play ultimately teams want to win because you know American mums and dads want to put their team and their winning team we'd love winners the easy way to win in youth level is just to play the big kids have the more other kids down athletically. I spoke to a coach from Spain recently who was like, we don't care under 12, under 11, winning or losing, we'll leave the little kids in. Let them learn how to pocket pass.

45:22Rog:Score means nothing. Very different mentalities and we see the results in every single regard. But it is, it's almost like the pay to play means the teams have to win to become locally renowned, get the best players. It's almost killing the style of football as a result. We're going to take a couple more very, very quickly because you're all amazing. We'll go to the great Matt. Unmute, you beautiful human being. Tell us where you are and what's your question for Clint? Hey, fellas. My name is Matt from Pennsylvania. This might be a defeatist or depressing question, but we know Belgium and Portugal are ranked higher than us.

45:58Rog:And it seems very clear to me, at least, that the staff still doesn't know who their best 11 is or who their preferred 11 is. So I guess why should we care about these results? Because I'm sort of tempted to just tune out until June, until group play starts and kind of bypass the Senegal and Germany games. I mean, we're fans and that's why we care. And we love the game and we're always looking for, you know, those moments of hope that is the reason why you watch it. Right. And those goals, those clean sheets, those victories, and that something's going to change and get things turned around. I mean, if you don't have hope, then I think it's a sad life that you're going to be living.

46:43So that's what I kind of do, man. Hold on for hope. Keep watching these games, and some bright spot will come along and mix things up and change things. So that's why we watch it, man. And we want to see how these guys react to, you know, having their backs against the wall, being knocked down, how they stand up and how they react. So, I mean, that's why I tune in. What about you, Raj?

47:06Rog:I mean, I tune in because I love these players. I love their narrative. Chris Richards I find deeply moving, this guy rising up from Alabama. You know, to be the best player in Alabama is, you know, it's a thing. It's not that big a deal. and then fighting his way over to the Premier League via Germany and struggling so unbelievably hard, very lonely, a different culture, mentally being challenged, physically being challenged, unfit for the longest time when he arrived at Crystal Palace. And rising up, despite it all, to prove himself to himself, become a fan favourite, win something, and then bring that back to his nation.

47:48Rog:It means so much for these guys to wear that shirt. It really does. Even in dark times, I feel like a real pride to this team. They're diverse. They're wonderful. They're positive. So many of these guys are phenomenal human beings. Matt Turner is a phenomenal human being. Tim Ream is a phenomenal human being, a sweet and sensitive and remarkable man. So I watch because I want these human beings, their endeavor to pay off. Look, we dream. we dream as US fans all of us have dreamt forever I feel a fatigue I'm listening to these questions there used to be an anger when we lost I will say this there's almost a resignation amongst us normally when we lost last cycle you guys would all phone in and be angry be disappointed we're almost resigned to where we are right now which is I don't know what to say other than I just notice it I feel it, I feel it too there's only so long you can dream without realizing it's just dream on.

48:49Rog:And ultimately, you won't get fooled again, the delusional trap we often run into. But I watch because I will. I yearn for these guys to, in this moment, with the nation watching again, on home turf again, to make us proud. Football, here's what I'll say very quickly. Football is going to be massive after this World Cup, no matter what happens. I just yearn that the US are part of that narrative and they're not just like a footnote to this World Cup. Those are the stakes. Because American fans have become more experienced. In the early, late 90s, we were all just American fans. That was our thing.

49:31Rog:We'd watch these guys. So many of you are now Liverpool fans, find a deep sustenance. Real Madrid fans, Bayern Munich, AC Milan. So there's so many more options. And I do hope that the U.S. men, like the U.S. women are on their side, are still a dominant part of the footballing entity that brings us joy. It's a longer conversation. I'm not going to go off on one because I do want to take these two last questions. But that is why I watched that dream that still flickers on. Let's have Drew come on up. Remind us where you're from, you beautiful human being. What's your question for Clint? and then after that we'll take Chris Young and we'll call it a night.

50:15Thanks, Raj. I'm in Austin, Texas. And Clint, Raj, question for you is, it feels like we're kind of acting like it's a term paper the night before, like it's all going to come together

50:28Rog:and we're not really having a structured build-up to the World Cup when we've had, you know, no competitive games in a year plus, truly competitive games. So, you know, to your point about resignation versus hope. Give us some hope about why we think we can pull it together at the last second. What's such a good analogy, a term paper the night before. I mean, it is funny, Clint. We don't really know who the goalkeeper is. We don't know who our starting striker is. I don't know how many players you think you could write in who are going to start on June the 12th, that first game. It does feel quite chaotic.

51:06Rog:The friendlies obviously give the lack of competitive edge, But it does feel like tonight just be like, OK, now we're going to do false nine. It does feel like we're definitely improvising a little bit. Tell us where we are and can you give us hope is the question. I mean, like I said, there were some really bright spots from the first half of both of those games where it was back and forth. We were attacking, we were defending and a team really fought for each other. The issue that you run into in both of these games is we weren't able to put two halves together. And in the second game, the one that was tonight, we were kind of cheated out of that with all the substitutions that were made.

51:50But, you know, bright spots. Anthony Robinson's back fit playing with the national team. Chris Richards just just being that, you know, top center back on the list when you look at the sheet in midfield. You know, as long as they're healthy, you know, Tyler Adams in there with Weston McKinney, who's you talk about stories and people want to see people that they can relate with. And I relate a lot with Weston McKinney. He's from Texas like me. He's had to work for everything that he's got. Not that everybody does it, but every year he has to prove himself in Europe. And that's something that I had to do.

52:25And I have a lot of respect for him grinding it out and continue to prove people wrong. You know, you got Christian right now who was on fire at AC Milan. And then, you know, 2026 came and it hasn't been the best situation. And you got Baligan up top who's been on fire for Monaco as well. I mean, those are some guys that jump out to me off, you know, when I'm making a lineup or putting together a roster that will be in my first 11 every time. But, yeah, bro, there's still a lot of good things. We just got to put two halves together and we got to figure out a way to score more goals and be more dangerous in the attack in third.

53:07But I feel like there's some good football to come. And I'm looking forward to the challenges that we have in terms of those two friendlies against Germany and Senegal. So we'll just see where things stack up. I mean, all that matters is what happens on the test day, right? Hopefully we had enough coffee. we studied as much as we could and we pull it off so we have to wait and see

53:33Rog:God, there's another poch quote that's just come through from Kyle Bond we are the USA, we're competing against Belgium and Portugal, those are both facts, that was me adding that those are both facts, they have some players in the top 100, this is amazing they have some players in the top 100 in the world, we don't have players like that that's why it's good to play this type of team. He says some players, quote, got a little frustrated, but he's not. Look, here's what I'd say. We upset. I mean, ultimately, we obsess too much about whether our players are world class, not world class. How good are they?

54:11Rog:Ultimately, they're good enough. They're good enough, these players, to come together as a collective. A lot of it's on pot. He was hired for a lot of money with a lot of noise with it you know a trap record of building a culture of belief and fight um can he find that formation can he that decision i talked about earlier about does he stick with his mls his boys or is he going to favor the more experienced guys who you know were quote implicitly amongst the more complacent in the last cycle um but can he find that formation and that concentration for 90 minutes. If we take our eye off, if we lose focus, you will get punished by these goals we've let in this past two games, these fantastic goals.

55:00Rog:That is the level. We don't have to play at that level, but we have to repel at that level, fight at that level. They have the ability. I've got no doubt, Clint, to make us proud. And honestly, the greatest opportunity to do so in our lifetime on American soil is now just 71 days away. So we've got to stop agonizing about greatness. We've got to stop agonizing about the style of play. Can we play scintillating, attacking, razzle-dazzle football? I think playing compact football and making sure we are stopping conceding, there's enough talent to snap forward in fleeting moments. And ultimately, in a knockout tournament, you don't have to do that too many times to deal with that.

55:43And Raj, to your point, I mean, some of the best fighters in the world have been counterpunchers. Some of the best fighters in the world have been counterpunchers.

55:51Rog:Hey, man, take it from Clint, a man not afraid to put his fist through a window. I'm full of bubble club. Last one from the night. I've enjoyed this greatly. I do feel better listening to you guys, listening to Clint. It's the great Chris Young. Remind us where you're from, baby, and take us home with your question. Raj, Clint, it's great to talk to you guys. I'm calling in from Boston, World Cup City. I just saw you guys back in December. You've been giving me a lot of hope that maybe we can punch above our weight class a little bit. Also, preparing phrases in several different languages to tell maybe confused tourists that, no, no, no, Boston Stadium, no, that's 45 minutes.

56:34Rog:That's an hour away. You're in the wrong place. So, might have one. I left that one as Foxborough Stadium, not Boston Stadium. that's going to confuse a lot of people. Amen. By the way, 45 minutes in England is just an enormous journey. So it's mind-blowing. What's your question to take us home tonight, Chris? Yeah, I'll be beating the dead horse a little bit, I think, at the end. But, I mean, the club game seems to be played with layers and layers of tactics. But my takeaway from this international break, and all of them really, is you see players like Doku, like Bruno Fernandes, that just have this world-class ability to make those moments happen.

57:15Rog:And kind of piggyback on your last point, I'm curious, what's the X factor that we need to prevent those really world-class superstar players from having those moments? How can we be as a collective to shut that down? Because right now it just feels like we don't have an answer for when someone just decides, okay, I'm going to do my thing. When Doku decides, you know what, I want to dribble the team, he's going to do it. Bruno Fernandes can just lay down that last pass. I know in previous World Cups, we've gone toe-to-toe with Giants. It seems through organization, through grit, like Clint was saying, by just maybe riding the line between what's allowable.

57:59Rog:Maybe you see yellow, don't see red. I'm curious, aside from what we've talked about tonight, is there something that we can add if you're in that dressing room that you say, this is what we do to go to teams like Belgium, go to teams like Portugal, and come out with something unexpected. Well, I mean, the difficulty is stopping top players, right? But you look at tape, and you kind of figure out ways to try to do that, right? So, for example, a Doku situation. At times, how you double up that on him, right? Whether you bring in the outside midfielder back with the outside back and figuring out how you stop that and if they have an overlapping guy, how you stay with one and the other goes with the other so that they don't off-balance you.

58:46And then if they do beat the outside back, how your center back steps over and how the other center back maybe takes the striker. So there's a lot of things you're able to look at tape and try to figure out how to nullify the dangerous players that are on the field. But then at the same time, you can't get so caught up in that that you're not, like Raj said, having your counter and being able to like, who are we releasing? And where is the space that we can take advantage of them? They have players that might be cheating and not getting back defensively. So I think it's just a balance of looking at tape and trying to make those adjustments.

59:25But that's a few things that I would say.

59:27Rog:I mean, I love the question. I'm thinking back to like 2014 when he was chosen to start. Kyle Beckerman, just the mentality that he brought, smothering, destroying, breaking up with glee. DeAndre Yedlin in that World Cup, a kid. He was a kid. He was barely not an Akron zip and played with a true fearlessness in that World Cup. When you play Belgium in that game, I know you still have PTSD. So many fans do from that game. Once you're there, are you aware that it's like Kevin De Bruyne on the ball? Are you aware that, you know, my God, it's Romelu Lukaku on the ball? Once you're there, is it just all melding?

1:00:09Rog:Is it just, you know, opponents and you just want to hurt? Like mentally, when a great gets on the ball, are you aware in World Cup play or does it all just mind meld? No, I mean, you're aware of the team and the qualities that they have and the dangers that they possess. But at the same time, I mean, you got to put your 10 toes down as well and back yourself and believe in yourself. because if you don't, nobody else will. And this is your chance, right? Everybody sits at home watching TV and saying, oh, if I was out there, I'd have done this. Or if I ever made it out of – well, here's your chance.

1:00:43Go do it. Do all the stuff that you thought you were going to do. Go out there and see where the chips fall and see what you're made of and see how you stack up against these guys, right? And like you said, in that game, I don't think we were at our best in terms of Josie being out and having to play out of position, me being a false nine, which I'm not. And ultimately, you look back at Copa America when we played against Argentina. I know we lost 3-0, but having Josie out, having Jermaine Jones out, if we'd had our full team, I would have just been curious to see how it would all win, right? But it's one of those things about a tournament, that's the hard thing is you're going to deal with injuries.

1:01:25You're going to deal with card suspensions, and you just got to go out and roll with what you got. It's not the cards you're dealt, but how you play your hand. We just came up short.

1:01:38Rog:I mean, I love, I love. I was going to ask you to close the night with a final word, but I feel like what you've just given us, you've got to put your 10 toes down. Ultimately, I do think so much of it is mental. Paul Carr's just tweeted that the U.S. has lost eight straight games to European teams, second longest streak in team history, which is crazy. behind a 10-game slide from 1952 to 1973. That is mind-blowing. Ultimately, I still feel when we take the field with these guys, we have an inferiority complex. We are good enough to beat some of these teams. We should not be losing eight straight games.

1:02:16Rog:The next barrier for us is truly, truly mental. I think you've just given us part of the key, Clint. I do want to say before we sign off, World Cup stage finally in focus. Men in Blazers newsletter has expanded to five-day-a-week coverage. I love the whole thing. It's the first thing I read in the morning. Bonds our community together straight into your inbox, including World Cup Weekly, which comes out tomorrow. So subscribe now at the link below to stay up to date. And just in our hearts, we send daily out to you on pretty well everything from the Premier League to the Champions League to the glories of this US team.

1:02:55Rog:I will say, Clint, I felt terrible when we started. I feel, I'm not joyful, but I do feel, I feel smarter, less panicked, a little more nuanced. I'm really, really grateful to you. I'm going to use your words to thank you. Your words were hold on to hope. Can I say one thing? Please. Today is my mom's birthday. I just want to say happy birthday, mom, if you're watching. And yeah, without my mom, I wouldn't be on here talking with you. So I just got to show her some love. Remind me, my mom. Man, she got like too many names. Debra Lynn Marie Dempsey. So Debbie Dempsey. DeeDee. Love you, DeeDee. That's an incredible four-man midfield you just named.

1:03:36Rog:I met your mom last summer. One of the joys of my life, me and your beautiful parents, and been able to thank them myself. Yeah, exactly. You don't forget anything. Being able to thank them myself for what they brought, the joy they brought to, I think, every American fan. You brought a little bit of that tonight. I'm really, really grateful, Clint. Hey, much love to everybody. Big, big love to you. Remember, survival of the fittest. Ten toes down. Courage.