USMNT End of Year Review with Clint Dempsey: Men in Blazers 12/31/25

0:00You're listening to the Men in Blazers Media Network Suboptimal Radio. I'm not going to put a ceiling on their success, but I'm going to put a floor. I mean, we got to get out of the group. Anything less than that is a failure. Can we make this country believe? Can we inspire the next generation? Those are things that will make it a success. Inspire this country with your play and go out there and make us proud.

0:28We are about to head into 2026, a new year. But for US football fans, a seismic one in which the Men's World Cup returns to our shores. North America will host 48 teams for what I hope will be a generationally defining rumble on our soil. The US men's team tournament will be a success no matter who wins. But the United States will be desperate to make themselves more than a bit part in the story and to talk about all that is to come by reviewing 2025, a year in which we've seen darkness and also seen great glimmers of light. It's a joy to welcome one of the greatest gents to ever do it for the men's national team in our nation's history.

1:09Scorer in three World Cup tournaments between 2006 and 2014, our nation's joint record goal scorer for a special year-end episode of his show, The Deuce. It's a joy to welcome back. Oh, I've missed him. It's Mr. Clint Dempsey. Yes, sir. What's up, Raj? How you doing? I'm so happy to see you, Clint. I can't think of anyone I would rather end the year with than you. It's been some year. We're fresh off the World Cup draw. I mean, it's been a year of challenge. It's been a year of wonder. How do you feel like if you were to sum up this experience as a U.S. men's national team watcher, where are we right now?

1:44It's been a roller coaster, like you said. It's been some lows and a few highs, but I feel like we're in a good position now. I'm starting to get positive again about this team. They're unbeaten in their last five games, especially the way their last game you saw them play against Uruguay with a 5-1 victory. They seem to be clicking in front of a goal, and I think they've done a good job of adding that five that we saw during Gold Cup with some of the more quality that we have on our side from some of the players that play in Europe. And I think it's just been a good mix, and the team's playing really well right now.

2:14It has been a mix, and I want to almost go through the year and almost like an archaeologist, work out how the layers of what currently seems to be our U.S. squad has come to pass. But first, do not miss this exclusive limited time ticket offer. Bank of America has teamed up with Visa to offer new Bank of America cash rewards cardholders a chance to purchase up to two FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets. Get the details at bankofamerica.com slash card FWC 26. But in the early period, you're actually there for this. The CONCACAF Nations League in SoFi Stadium. Really the end of the Pochettino honeymoon, the loss to Panama.

2:54In the semifinals, the US were ponderous, poch played players in odd positions. We had all the possession, none of the ideas, and were ultimately stung by a thunderous 94th minute Cecilio Waterman sucker punch, after which he proceeded to jump onto your broadcast podium, give you and Thierry Henry a hug. That was the low of lows. And I don't know if you remember that moment because you were like part of the theatre, but it was shell shock. The thing that compounds the situation is the Copa America, us not being able to get out of that group on home soil and having a World Cup two years later, it was kind of panic station.

3:32So you saw the firing of Greg Berhalter and then the hiring of Pochettino. So everybody was excited about the new coach and the new levels that he was going to take us. Maybe there was a little bit of complacency there from our players in terms of they won three CONCACAF Nations League titles in a row. and the thing that compounded that situation was the fact the result of Copa America and then here we are again against Panama who seems to be our bogey team and getting knocked out of the semi-final so yeah you saw the celebration the guy jumping on and hugging Thierry who was his idol I'm in a situation where you know it's like someone's having a special moment but at the same time like inside you want to cry because uh to concede a goal in your team in the 90th minute uh definitely hurt you were very honest that night clint yeah yeah i mean it was frustrating right because as an as an american fan and a former player you want this team to be building in a right direction towards the world cup right and because of what happened in copa america us not getting out of that group with bolivia panama and uruguay you're thinking well dang you're not going to have much easier groups to get out of to get into a knockout rounds than that and then you lose the Panama again in a semi-final you lose the Canada and the third fourth place game and it's just like man what what's going on what is it where's the fight you know at least you need to have that and I think they've done a good job of finding it since they lost it it seems like they found it in the gold cup and now they're starting to add that that quality like we saw in these last five games.

5:08I mean, as you say, we lost to Canada to round off the SoFi debacle and then got exposed in a pair of friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland. That quality gap with mid-level European teams, not great European teams, mid-level European teams was so evident as we watched them. You and I actually live streamed that Turkey game. It was hard to watch. I've got to say, you're a natural live streamer though, Clint. We scored too soon, right? I mean, it could have got off to a better start. Me and you, we're excited. John McLeod. Yeah. Cuts inside, world-class goal, and you're thinking, okay, maybe we have some young up-and-coming players like what we saw from Switzerland that are starting to emerge for the national team.

5:53And then it started to go downhill after that. But, yeah, I mean, it's one of those things where I've enjoyed the process of seeing some of these new faces that are going to come into the team and push for a spot. And some of those guys that we thought from Gold Cup that might be B players are really fighting to be kind of in the A team of making the roster for World Cup and possibly get into that starting 11. You talk about players like Arsene, Freeman, Diego Luna, Malik Tillman, Berhalter. I mean, there's some people that are pushing to try to get into that starting 11. And I think you need that competition for spots.

6:27Yeah, I mean, this was an incredible moment. It was almost like, you know, truth or dare for Pochettino. And he was very resolute. His mindset was, trust the process. I know what I'm doing. And he proceeded to do something that I think has become more and more fascinating as time went on. Because in that moment, he stripped back the squad for the Gold Cup. He went young, untested, untried. A few big names in that squad. Lots of room for quite inexperienced guys. You've named them. Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, Max Arfston. My favorite, Diego Luna. To seize their moment, Tillman. had an absolutely creative pulse of a tournament.

7:08The boys ultimately lost to Mexico in the final. But you've nailed it. At the time, we all assumed, and I think assuming anything with Mauricio Pochettino is a mistake, but we all assumed this squad was like C team, beast team at best. He was ultimately auditioning, if anything, for the last few places on the World Cup squad. Poch, it turns out, or it seems at the moment, was doing something different. He was definitely angry and made no secret of that. The big dog culture, very annoyed publicly about the golfing culture, the vacation culture, the culture of complacency that he saw that he'd inherited.

7:43He had the public spat with Christian Pulisic around then. Eunice Moussa also refused to call up. And what it feels like he was actually doing, he wasn't auditioning B and C string. He was ultimately resetting the entire culture, stripping it down, making it young. But in making it young, making it have the values he wants and needs. Hard working, hard training, and the opposite of complacent. He wanted hungry dogs. At the end of the day, when your back's against the wall, who do you want fighting next to you? You want hungry dogs, right? You want people that are going to have your back and fight to the very end.

8:16And sometimes you're not going to be at your best or play your best football. But if you have people that are fighting for you and you can suffer during those moments in the game that you have to suffer to get results, then that's what you need. And he's rewarded those guys that have fought for him. And these guys, you're starting to see the confidence that they're gaining from that. Arson, in just terms of the assists that he's providing for this team. Freeman now getting goals and assists. Diego Luna getting goals and assists. Burrhalter chipping in goals with assists. So everybody is rewarding him for giving them that opportunity.

8:48and they're pushing for a spot in this 18 and hopefully you know in the starting 11 so it'll be interesting to see how things play out but you need to have people looking over their shoulders iron sharpens iron and if you want to go far in a tournament you're going to have to have depth and you know there was a method to his madness it was hard to to believe the method to the madness from the outside looking in at times but um in these last five games he's definitely made me more of a believer that is for sure i mean it's crazy because it could have been a disaster but it has worked it was high risk and it has been high reward and when I look at it I realise this is actually something Richard Pochettino has done before it's something he did initially at Tottenham he struggled and he ultimately became frustrated with the number of I think he saw them as complacent but the big salary stars the big names then at Tottenham Eunice Cabool and Emmanuel Adebayor and so there he got rid of them and created a new culture almost a fresh slate that he could mould completely young Harry Kane, who'd been mostly a looney to that point.

9:50Eric Dyer, Ryan Mason. He seems to be doing the same. That pattern seems to be repeating itself. We US watchers thought that we were sure, actually. We talked about it. The big dogs, Weston McKinney, Tim Weyer, Seginio Desk, Anthony Robinson when he's fit. They'd all just swagger back in and take their places. But Potcher's stuck with most of the young guns. He loves Berhalter. He loves Arston. He loves Freeman. And you see the results in friendlies recently have been so much more positive. The U.S. closes the year with four wins in the draw. The delirious 5-1 win, quite an emphatic exclamation point against Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay.

10:32The caveats we will dig into, these are all friendlies. We'll talk about that in a moment. But, Clint, we just beat Paraguay 2-1. We beat Uruguay 5-1. And it turns out what we thought was the C team is very much Poch's people. No, for sure. I mean, you need people that are fighting for you that you can count on. And you want people that are hungry out there to prove a point and to prove themselves. I remember my situation of going into the 2006 World Cup. I was on the outsides looking in, going into January camp. And by fighting hard and, you know, taking advantage of the opportunity I got from those camps and the friendlies that led in, it allowed me to make the team and ultimately ended up starting two of those games in the World Cup.

11:16versus italy and versus ghana and and being the only american to get a goal in that tournament so being on the outside looking in to being a starter it goes to show you that anything can happen in these next six months as we build towards the world cup and and nobody's spot is secured there can be injuries there can be players that step up and play better than you and and take your spot so uh i'm looking forward to to everybody battling it out and seeing who that best 11 is going to be because you got to have that in your team.

11:49What was your mindset like? Because I think it is illuminating, your 2006 mindset. We've talked a little bit about it this year. You've talked about that hunger, not just on the field, but in training. And I think it's illuminating to hear about it because think about what Clint's about to say and think about Berhalter and think about Austin and think about Freeman because your mentality I'm imagining is very much theirs in this moment. You talk about being hungry. I mean, there's no greater hungry than a dream and a prayer as a kid, hoping one day you can represent your country and play for your national team in a World Cup.

12:23And you know it, it's right there in your grasp to try to make something happen. So what are you going to do? You're going to give it everything that you have. You know what I mean? You're going to do the extra running. You're going to do the extra finishing after training. You're going to work on skills. You're going to take care of your body. You're going to not go out. You're going to make sure you're getting your rest and do the things that you need to do. And you're going to take risk. And when you get the opportunity to go out there and play, you're going to play with confidence and you're going to show everybody why you should be there and make the coach play.

12:53That was my mentality. I was going to go out there. I was going to make the coaches play me. And when their backs are against the wall and when their their their job is being questioned or if there is any pressure and you're looking around, who's going to help you? I wanted them to see me as, well, damn, that's someone that could help me in this situation because that's someone who's going to run through a brick wall for me. If you have people that will run through a brick wall for you, those are the type of people you're going to put on the field. God bless. When I hear that, and I do, I think about these young guys.

13:22I mean, all I can say is amen, or I could quote the great American, Kenny Powers, who said, honestly, I just feel that America is the best country and all the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism. God bless. So let's dig into some of the individual storylines of the year. Starting with Mauricio Pochettino, who did have wobbles early in this year. He was heavily linked to a return to the Premier League in his low points in the first six months. But he has most certainly enjoyed the back half of the year. He's had some incredible soundbites in the media, snarling during the Pulisic standoff.

13:58I am not a puppet, which he followed up with. I am not a janitor. when his squad rotation ideas were questioned by the media, I think before the Uruguay game. Where do you think Poch sits right now in terms of his control, his leadership, his moment leading into the World Cup? I mean, I think he's coming in a situation and I don't think he fully understood what he got himself into, but respect to him. He's a fighter and you can see the way he talks in his interviews and how he protects his players and fights for his team. And he's someone who wants to win. So I feel like he's been able to change the culture.

14:41I think he's got that fighting spirit that what America's always been known for and then trying to add more of a playing style and quality. You seem to change a little bit of the formation with the back three and how they play. And it's been effective and they've been dangerous. Ultimately, he's going to be graded on how he does in the World Cup. But in terms of where I am now, where I was after CONCACAF Nations League, I'm feeling optimistic and positive again. The glass is definitely half full. And I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Like a good book, right? We're halfway there.

15:16We need to read the other half to know how it all ends. And if you don't get out of a group, it'd be a failure with all the extra teams added and eight third-place teams now getting through. but I hope to see something like what was in South Korea from the US team when they got to the quarterfinals or even what you saw from South Korea being the host country in Korea. Why can't we be the dark horse that goes on, upsets everybody and goes on a deep run? I know. By the way, I do. I look at it. I look at Morocco at the last week. I look at Costa Rica in 2014. I look at Iceland in the Euros, Wales.

15:53I'm like, why never us, Clint? Why never us? It can be us, right? It can be us. I mean, look at the last World Cup on home soil in 1994. No one would have picked the US to get out of that group with Colombia. And then they go on to play Brazil and only lose one nothing to them. And that's the team that ultimately goes on and wins the whole thing. I'm going to believe in this team and I have a feeling they're going to do something special. I think they're going to inspire this country. And as we get closer to the World Cup and have some more exciting friendlies, they're going to get more people on board and excited.

16:24and they'll be that 12th man for us and we'll be able to, you know, talk about something special happening after this World Cup. Amen. I love, I love, I love your vision. And my Lord, we do need to make more noise in this nation. And I do want to get into the specifics of the positional realities, but you've been to World Cups, lots of them. This is a strange journey to the tournament because we don't have to qualify. We have no real competitive games to battle hard on ourselves. We are 178 days out. So many unknowns. all over the field. I don't think many players are written in starters or have knowledge that their pot is number one.

17:02In terms of your past World Cup experiences, are we where we should be in terms of the process, the readiness, the preparation along the way? I think the most important thing is do you feel like things are moving in the right direction? And I think that they are. I think we're a team that, like you said, we're unbeaten in our last five. We're playing good attacking football. creating chances, getting goals. We're staying compact defensively. And it's about keeping that and playing against better competition, potentially friendlies against Germany, Portugal, and Senegal and some others. And you just have to wait and see.

17:39If we continue in the fashion that we're doing what we saw in the last five, then I'm definitely optimistic about that. And you look at the group that we have, and I think there's a chance to definitely get out of that group. And it's just about doing it. It's easy to say something, but you have to go out there and do it. And if we have all of our players fit and healthy and to select from, get Anthony Robinson back fit. We saw his first game back, which was exciting to see. I think he's a real problem when he's playing in that wingback position. Who's going to be on the right-hand side if he's able to start?

18:11Is it going to be Dastorwea or one of those other guys that we had talked about? So I'm just excited about seeing how things play out. Balligan, he's on fire in that number nine position. You have Haji Wright and Pepe nipping at his heels. And it's exciting to see Christian's back healthy again, scoring goals at AC Milan. So stay healthy, man. Stay healthy, man. I mean, which is easier said than done for us. You mentioned Christian Pulisic. His form has been, I think, career-defining at club level for AC Milan. He's become the all-time leading American men's goal scorer in European top five leagues, surpassing the great Clint Dempsey.

18:48but he missed the Gold Cup entirely in a really quite ugly back and forth with US soccer which made nobody look good. Injury has limited his availability. The low light, I think, injuring himself while playing for the US against Australia. So he's not played as much as I think he'd like, as much as Pochettino would like. And Pochettino also has that habit of letting his best players stay with their teams to refresh and restore their energy at times, which honestly has befuddled some of his players along the way. But it's good that we have a fresh Pulisic, ready to roar in the World Cup at some point.

19:20At the same time, do players need to play together at international level to get chemistry? And he's got just two more games to get with his US teammates on the same page before the World Cup squad's announced. I think you do. I think it's important to build that chemistry and it's important to have positive moments together. And I think that brings the team together and you start getting that winning mentality, that winning spirit and more of an understanding of each other, what your movements are, or how you can create chances for each other, and better to be more effective in the attack in third, and more organized as a team.

19:57So for me, I think it's important to get those reps. I think that's not something that will hurt you by getting those, but like you talked about, there's not many opportunities left for those, and I hope that we have our full selection to see what little bit more of his idea of his best 11 and how they play together. By the way, does it annoy you when someone breaks a record or do you feel no pain? No pain. I mean, it's all about someone else coming and taking it to another level. Were you able to leave something better than what you found it? And I felt like I was. And hopefully the ones after me will feel the same way when other people break their records.

20:33That's what it's all about. It's taking the game a little bit further. I mean, there was people that crawled so I could walk. Maybe I walked so others could run. Oh, God, be like this, man, America. And genuinely, all that we dream about can be ours. and talking about this man, Stryker, we struggled with a real number nine for the entire Greg Berhalter era. We're now blessed with Flo Balligan, who is doing it in the US jersey, finally thriving. Hadji Wright, screwing freely too. And Ricardo Pepe, finding the back of the net, almost on a game-by-game basis for PSV on repeat. How do you handicap the number one, number nine?

21:09It's a tough one. I mean, I've always been a big Balligan fan. I think he's a complete player, not to say the others aren't, but with his pace, how he can stretch the field, bring others into play. He's good with his right, left. He's good in the air, can cause problems. But I think we're in a good situation here with having three strikers fighting for that spot. And it's ultimately what Pochettino thinks the best striker is for the opposition that we're playing against. But, I mean, hats off to Haji Wright, Pepe as well for, you know, having a good season and pushing. It's good to have options, right?

21:43Like you said, there wasn't a lot of options. Or maybe the people that were playing were not scoring in that number nine position. But now we have people that are doing it for both club and country. Strange quick one, which you and I have not spoken about. But Gio Reyna, who had almost become a lost boy since the last World Cup. It felt like his career was floundering. Could not get minutes with his club team. Teams, really. Could not stay fit. Still only 23 years old. And Pochettino actually went against his own cardinal rule of his players needing to get first team club appearances to play for the US.

22:14Pulled him in for the last window. And it has to be said, Gio sees the moment. A goal and two assists. It is a strange one. I don't know what you make of it. Are we to believe that Gio is part of the World Cup squad now, even if he's not going to start for the second successive World Cup? If he can show that he's fit and he can play week in and week out, and he's a player that can play 90 minutes, if he is a starter, well then yeah, I think he's someone that you have to pick in this side because he shows you when he puts on that national team jersey, he's different. He's a difference maker. He can create and it's never been his quality.

22:51It's always been his fitness, right? So if he can show that he's fit and can play 90 minutes, then I think he makes the team for sure. But if you're not fit and can go 90 minutes, it's hard for you to be selected in the team because how can you start a player that you might have to sub right back out because you don't know how fit he is, right? So I think the more minutes that he gets and continues to prove that he's someone that can be counted on from a fitness standpoint, then yeah, from a quality standpoint, it's always been there. And especially when he puts on the national team jersey, he's someone that always chips in with goals and assists.

23:25Godspeed, Gio Reyna. Who's been your biggest surprise emergence? the player that you've loved watching this year, Clint Dempsey, that you were not thinking about this time last season? I knew that they were good, but I didn't know how good they really truly were. Chris Richards, just taking over and being the top centre-back that we have. And I knew that he was doing really well at Crystal Palace, but just how he's been able to take that to the national team and be the main guy really for us now in that back three. So hats off to him. For me, I've got to say, I get such joy out of watching Diego Luna thrive in key moments.

24:00It's this, he is such a human inspiration, a human story that, I mean, it really is. You just like root for him. And also when he was at his prime in that gold cup experience, he was the player that you told us, Clint reminded you most of a young Clint Dempsey. I mean, there's, there's a lot of things we have in common. I would say both of us breaking our nose and, and getting back on the pitch and, and wanting to play. both of us having to show in January camp that how bad we wanted it to break into the first team. So those are definitely the things that we have in common. We like to try stuff and, you know, freestyle it a little bit out there.

24:39Don't always do what, you know, the most predictable thing. So, yeah, I mean, I've been happy with what I saw from him. I'd say also Malik Tillman, what I saw in Gold Cup. Unfortunately, we haven't seen much of him since that tournament with the national team. So be interested to see how he gets back and what kind of impact he can make. But yeah, those are definitely two players that stand out. Flip side of that question. Is there a big player, Clint, you think we will be surprised when they do not make the World Cup squad? Anthony Robinson. He would be a huge miss if he's not fit. What we thought was a minor injury, we thought we'd see him back a lot sooner than what we have.