WORLD CUP DAY 1: The Azteca, Team USA and a cave

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1:22I'm Tom Clark and joining me for part one of today's show from Mexico, we have Tom Allnut. Tom, opening ceremony done, opening match done, you're back in your hotel room. How are you feeling? You're at the World Cup, we're off and running. We are up and running Tom, yeah. Feeling good, feeling excited, yeah. Definitely got some World Cup fever going. Feeling tired, definitely, you know. Jet lag is hitting hard. But I stopped off at some nice taco restaurants on the way home. It was raining very hard in Mexico, actually, on the way back. The weather here hasn't been very hot. So I stopped in and did a sort of two or three little taco crawl, actually, which really raised my spirits.

2:02Yeah, nothing like a bit of tacos in Mexico. They are living the dream, aren't you? This is the kind of insights we need to bring to listeners to remind everyone that we do have the best job in the world. I should say, Tom, they brought me a whole wheel of sauces with my tacos. So like about eight different sauces. and the guy claimed he was like this one is hot this one is hot this one isn't hot and this one isn't hot in actual fact they were all severely hot and just two of them were completely inedible do you know i mean so like but it was good it was it was a whole like you know a massive selection of different sauces but they to me they all just tasted extremely spicy fantastic a whole wheel a wheel of pain a wheel of pain a wheel of saucy pain um let's get on to the i mean i think maybe first you know so much is made of these kind of fifa extravaganzas what did we make of the opening ceremony i always find them a little underwhelming no matter how hard these organizations try yeah it sort of washed over me a little bit i have to say um i sort of had a line in my report at one point saying it was kind of well executed which i thought was you know maybe just kind of like said i thought it was quite good i didn't think it was terrible you know i feel like in comparison to qatar which was just like bizarre and really weird remember that sort of slightly kind of ghosty mascot they had going on in qatar everything was a bit more normal and it seemed like it was quite good if you like opening ceremonies i think it was probably quite good the fans in the stadium seemed to enjoy it and shakira was there uh she did a good good number not as good as the 2010 one in my opinion but still quite good sam hayek said some said some stuff so yeah I mean it went well anything I think in the Azteca stadium maybe we'll come on to this I think looks good you know like the light was was lovely the fans were in were great the shape of the stadium is is spectacular so I think it'd be difficult to put on a bad opening ceremony there I have to say I think well executed and Shakira is about as good an opening ceremony as you could possibly get but yeah nothing can ever beat Waka Waka and let's talk about the game then I mean well executed probably not the word that you could use for some of the things we saw on the pitch definitely in terms of South African defending Mexico getting the win deserved winners and an emotional goal for Raul Jimenez as you talk about in your report a 2-0 win for the co-hosts about a fair result probably on the on the way the game panned out yeah I think it was I think South Africa were quite poor I have to say I didn't expect very much from South Africa but I think it's fair to say that they sort of underwhelmed, even against low expectations.

4:39They just didn't really ever seem to have any kind of foothold in the game. I can't really remember any period really, perhaps very late on in the match when they actually had a kind of sustained period of pressure or control. So against that backdrop, I guess we have to kind of, you know, say that this wasn't the best opposition for Mexico. But I thought Mexico looked quite handy. You know, I think they looked organized. And we know that Javier Guerrero, for example, very sort of experienced Mexico coach. This is his third stint in charge of the national team. He's managed at various La Liga sides.

5:11He's very much quite no-nonsense, back to basics. I don't know, who's the English comparison for Javier Aguirre? Maybe like David Moyes, someone like that? Maybe like very sort of reliable sort of football. And I think he's got, you can see that this Mexico team looked very well drilled, you know, and they had a good plan. They were organised and they didn't have the ball. And I thought when they got the ball back, they attacked quickly. They had a really good sort of transitions plan. and that was executed very well for the first goal. You know, they won the ball high up on the edge of the penalty area.

5:39They moved it quickly and it was a really good finish. And I'm sort of looking at the Mexico team. I know that in Mexico they don't really consider this to be a super talented generation of players and that's probably reflected in the fact that there really aren't very many who are playing in the kind of European leagues. That said, it was interesting. I thought that it allowed Harry Aguirre to basically pull out all the Mexican players from the domestic clubs in kind of early May and they sort of had this really long extended World Cup camp, which obviously, you know, none of the top teams in Europe can do.

6:07And I thought you could sort of see that in this game. They looked well prepared. They looked organised. And, yeah, I thought it was a good start. It looked to me like a game, and let's see, because, you know, we haven't seen the second match yet at the time of recording, but it looked to me like the winners of the group against the team are probably going to finish bottom of the group. I don't know if you thought that was fair. Yeah, I think I'd probably agree with that. I mean, South Africa looked really poor to me. defensively very weak and just never looked like they were going to score whether they had 11 men, 10 men or 9 men very very difficult watch if you're a South Africa fan going into this one I mean would we say then that maybe the highlight for you was the Azteca stadium being in that great arena I think that was one of the main takeaways from watching back home was seeing all the journalists like yourself and fans who were there as well going wow this place is amazing, this is a proper cathedral of sport To me, I have to say, it was probably the most impressive stadium I think I've ever been to.

7:05It sort of reminded me of the kind of camp now, but in a way that Barcelona Stadium, as we all know, is slightly sort of old and crumbling. This felt like a sort of new and fresh version of that with a very steep stands, the kind of perfect, complete bowl shape. And the colours as well. I don't know if it's just because you're sort of seeing it through the lens of 86 and 70. but it just sort of had a kind of quite a retro feel about it like you looked the kind of the colors the kind of pastely colors in in the in the stands the kind of floating sombreros and if you saw there was a moment before kickoff when all the kind of Mexico fans basically sort of chucked these these green and white sombreros that I think must have been freebies because there were so many of them these kind of paper hats almost and they sort of tossed them into the air and they all kind of trickled down basically you know down towards the pitch and it just sort of gave this effect almost like ticker tape you know it felt like a kind of 80s kind of affair and it really it really was a really special occasion I have to say you know and it's obviously a huge privilege to cover these tournaments and and to go to these kind of games but I felt that particularly today because it was such a you know the Azteca obviously I think it's so connected to this world cup and to the world cup and I was thinking today you know that there really is no other stadium I don't think in the world that probably holds the kind of connection to the world cup as the Azteca you You know, you have obviously the Maradona goal and the hand of God.

8:27But also, you know, it's the only stadium now that's hosted three different World Cups. It's the only stadium that's basically had Pelé and Maradona win the trophy on its turf. Like, if you wanted to sort of have a World Cup home, I think the Azteca would be it. And you're right, the football today was fine. You know, it was a fine, good enough game. But I think what really made it was the fans and the atmosphere and the feeling of it all. Yeah, lovely words there, Tom. Tom, I think a lot of listeners would be really pleased and quite moved to hear you talk so glowingly about that lovely stadium because I think we've all got that impression from watching back home.

9:03Certainly hope for some maybe better spectacles on the pitch in the rest of the tournament. Obviously, in terms of that spectacle... Just on that, Tom, I just think it was probably one of those games that when you're in the stadium, because of the sort of feeling, you think, oh, this is a good game. You sort of want it to be a good game, whereas I guess maybe people watching it on telly, I was kind of conscious that it was the kind of match that probably on telly didn't particularly resonate. But I think when you were there in the ground, you sort of almost didn't care that much about the football because it was just a really fun place to be, you know.

9:34Yeah, that's interesting. I think a lot of the people I was speaking to back home, you know, sharing messages about, oh God, they're not very good. You know, our very own Gregor Robertson, I think he's going to judge everything by, could Scotland beat this lot? And I think he was watching this thinking, do you know what? I think we probably could. We're definitely better than South Africa and I reckon we'd give Mexico a decent game as well, which again reflects the confidence that Gregor Robertson is feeling as he's shown on the recent preview shows. Obviously, the spectacle itself was affected greatly by refereeing decisions.

10:05We ended up with three red cards in the end. I kind of felt two of them were pretty harsh. You got that first one, clean through on goal, goal-scoring opportunity. I don't think anyone would disagree with that, although it's slightly clumsy and you could see it coming a mile off. But I mean, what did you think of the other two live, real time in the ground? I mean, the second one is obviously a VAR interference and go and check the monitor, etc. It felt like one of those that felt a little unnecessary. You know, there's no particular big player reaction. There's no referee haranguing. There's just someone in a booth somewhere who said, oh, I think he slapped him in the face.

10:43You should probably go and have a look at that. I think so. I mean, I guess you can't slap people in the face though, can you, Tom? Like it doesn't really matter. Like it doesn't matter whether we feel or not it was sort of worthwhile. And I agree because I think it was 2-0 at that point, wasn't it? So it was a bit like, oh, really? Like do you need to sort of – but you sort of do. Like you can't – and in this day and age, obviously with VAR, it's a really stupid thing to do because you're always going to get seen. So I have to say I think that probably was. The first one actually I sort of thought – I think it also probably was, but I do think it was quite clever it was a quite clever movement to kind of cut back inside because I don't think he quite had the pace to sort of pull away and I think he sort of knew that so he kind of cut back across him and almost drew the foul.

11:24I think that had to be a red. I thought the third one was harsh do you think that one was harsh as well? That one didn't seem to me to be a real clear goal scoring opportunity I thought that could have been a yellow. Yeah definitely that absolutely could have been a yellow it felt like at that point it was kind of oh I better give another red here because it'll even it up and it won't look as bad. I mean, you know, some remarkable stuff kind of coming out about red cards, people tweeting, other, you know, contemporaries of yours, only 2018 and 2022 combined three straight red cards. We had three in 43 minutes at this World Cup.

12:00So, I mean, I would only hope that it's not an ominous sign for the rest of the tournament. As we record, I've got Korea against Czech Republic. We're 13 minutes in, no red cards in that yet. so far so we'll see how we we go and progress in the rest of the rest of that one um i just asked finally then mexico did they look like a team for you that could go deep into the competition they didn't for me watching frontelli did you get wrapped up in the atmosphere did you feel like co-hosts you know because we've had it before with co-hosts of any tournament where maybe you don't have to be that great to go deep into a tournament what do you think i mean i definitely got wrapped top of the atmosphere before the game you know it was a real it was a real experience kind of walking through these sort of narrow streets around the the stadium and there was sort of you know the smell of kind of cooking pork on kind of grills and and uh music you know guitars and and people just kind of do that thing that they do in sort of south american culture sort of sitting out and having a beer you know which was you know just kind of people having enjoying the kind of atmosphere and and i think there is a part of mexico i think where that kind of the fan support and linked to that the lack of travel you know you think that in the group stage for example they just haven't they play all their games in mexico which you know clearly is a massive advantage in this tournament you obviously there's the altitude factor which i don't think was quite so pronounced today because it wasn't hot in truth it was about 20 degrees it felt quite kind of a british afternoon almost but i think those kind of like almost those intangibles of the fans and the altitude and the logistics, I think will weigh in their favour.

13:39They look to me today and, you know, it's only a first glance. They look like a team I think who will get to the knockout stage but will probably lose to the first good team they play against, you know. And that could be England, you know. We know that in the round of 16 England will meet Mexico if they both win their groups, is that right? And they both win obviously in the last 32. And I have to say like with a slight kind of England look on today, I sort of thought I think England will beat these, you know. Even with all that kind of atmosphere, and obviously it will be a tough game, and if it's hot, that adds an extra layer, and let's see.

14:12There are two more games, and we haven't even seen England yet. But I think you're right. I sort of feel like Mexico look like a team who are going to get to the knockout stages, but maybe not go super deep in this tournament. Yeah, I definitely agree with that. I think there are probably a lot of diehard England fans who'd been plotting England's route further and deep into the tournament and been worried about a potential clash with Mexico. maybe not as worried now after that opening game. Tom, you've got a bit of a roving role at this tournament. We discussed that in the preview show. Your colleague Paul Hurst, who I've been chatting to overnight tonight, he's been at the Argentina training camp to watch Lionel Messi in action there.

14:47He's very much dedicated with them. And in part two, I'm going to be speaking to Pete Rutzler, who's with the USA team. But what's next for you? What can listeners and readers expect? Where are you off to next? And what match is next for you? I'm flying to Curacao tomorrow for a sort of field trip to see how Curacao are living their first ever World Cup. So I'm not actually attending the game, Curacao against Germany on Sunday evening. I'm going to Curacao to kind of experience the game with the locals there, which I'm really looking forward to. Curacao has got a really interesting history and a lot of very good vibes at the moment.

15:26clearly is the smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup. Beyond there, I'm going to Houston, covering Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo for a couple of games in the Netherlands, and then Seattle the week after that. But that feels like quite a long way away right now. So yeah, that's my plan for the next few days. I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, exciting stuff. Loved having you with me, Tom. I think I'm going to probably suggest to producer Neil that he calls this episode, Tom, you can't slap people, can you? which I think is maybe my favourite line already of the World Cup so far. What's the approach now, Tom?

16:00I can tell you that's 18 minutes gone. It's nil-nil, South Korea, Czech Republic. But I would already say that the pace this game is being played at maybe suggests a higher quality on show than the first game. What are you going to go for? Because it's mid-evening now. You've had some tea. You're a bit jet-lagged. Are you going to go to bed, get some sleep? What are you thinking? I'm going to try and sleep now because I think we're all finding here that we're sort of jet lagged so that we're all kind of waking up at 3 a.m. and then sort of wondering what to do with ourselves. So this is the moment to try and get the hours in.

16:34So, yeah, but I'm flying to Kurosawa in about, I don't know, five hours or something. So I haven't got long, to be honest. I think South Korea will win this game, won't they? I mean, I'm actually quite worried about you, Tom. When you sort of turn your camera on, I see, you know, you're in this sort of dark room with your headphones on. I know you have family, but they don't look very obviously there. you're washing in the background I'm wondering how you're experiencing this first day of your marathon challenge Yeah I am in a bit of a sort of dungeon like space in my flat I've got washing behind me dim lighting and yes listeners if you're probably wondering why I'm maybe not as enthused and excited and loud as I normally am it's because it is 3.45 in the morning and my wife and my three month old are asleep in the room next door so listen this podcast might be great it might also end in divorce we've got loads and loads of excitement to come but Tom we'll leave it there thank you very much for joining me from the opening game of the 2026 World Cup we'll speak to you very very soon listeners we have got loads more to come I'm going to be speaking to Peter Rutzler just after the break talking about all things Team USA but we're just going to take a quick break we'll be back with you in just a sec

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19:48are you? I'm good Tom, I'm good. I'm just coming up to 24 hours awake so I landed today but I'm pretty chipper. I'm more chipper than you obviously in your cave but yeah you do have extenuating circumstances I guess so I'm doing well. I reckon I'm coming up on about 18 hours awake because rather stupidly I didn't get any sleep beforehand. I just ended up doing another podcast with Gregor and Alison and then a bit of editing, a few meetings, a bit of World Cup prep and then before I knew it it was about 6 p.m and I was just straight into it so yeah this has been the show of sleep deprivation we've had Tom talking about jet lag you're 24 hours awake listen we've the fact we've managed to put out a podcast is a feat of achievement in itself and as I say you are got the big big task of following team USA at this tournament what a fascinating task that is Mauricio Pochicino in charge of a team that I think it's fair to say no one knows how good they're going to be would that be an accurate kind of summation yeah I think so and I'm not sure the team themselves know how good they're going to be uh coming into this tournament because they haven't played competitive football really since the gold cup last year but you know the world cup is a different order of magnitude obviously there's no qualifiers for them coming into this tournament and the results have been quite mixed really in the friendly games um towards the back end of last year I came out to to the US to see them beat Paraguay who's they play to tomorrow night and Uruguay and it looked really really good and then they they lost to Belgium and Portugal so there's a real sense of yeah we're not quite sure what we will get but I would say that the US seem to be overall when you take in the broader picture of the work Pochettino's done over the last 18 months to two years they look to be in a good position it's just whether that all unravels once it hits the earth and the competitive football starts.

21:39Who are the kind of star players? Have they got big names in there? Obviously, you've interviewed Tim Ream, the captain, and a familiar face to Fulham fans and Premier League fans as well. But have they got lots of other names like that, that Premier League fans, English fans will be like, oh yeah, that guy? I mean, the fascinating thing with this US team coming into this cycle, coming into the World Cup, a home World Cup, with a lot of expectations that they have this kind of golden generation. And you mentioned the interview with Tim Rehm. And Tim said when I asked him about that, you know, that's media hyperbole.

22:12We don't, I don't see it like that. But they do have a young core of American players playing at some of Europe's biggest clubs, all at a similar age, at a similar time, out of a decent level. And the US have never really had that before. And that's changed the feeling around the group and the expectation of what they might be able to do. You know, the names are familiar, actually, as well. Obviously, Christian Pulisic is the most well-known. He's the most talented. He genuinely can be a very impressive player. He's had some very impressive form for AC Milan this season. But then there's also Weston McKenney of Juventus.

22:49There's Timothy Weyer, now of Marseille, and Tyler Adams of Bournemouth. And Adams in particular, I think, will be really key to what Pochettino wants his team to do, because Pochettino has been very keen to instill a clear identity, not just in terms of tactical structure, but to have a bit more fight and a bit more bite, to really get the fans on side, get them with them. And that's been a process to get to this point. And it's been a process where there has been this core of quite talented players, particularly in forward areas. But there was also maybe an element of complacency about turning up for the national team.

23:28You know your place is guaranteed. They lack that edge in those... These were friendly games building up. And that's not the best way to prepare. And so what Pochettino did is he sort of delved into the MLS, really, and pulled out some players to buff out the squad. And that's where you'll see some others in the squad that will be unfamiliar. So Sebastian Berhalter being one, Max Arfsten, who's a wingback, Alex Freeman who's just joined Villarreal so there's a good mix to the group now and what's interesting about that golden generation in inverted commas is that this is their second World Cup they've been there before they've experienced what the World Cup is like obviously this is totally different we don't you know the home World Cup they had a training session this week the open training session there were five and a half thousand fans there this is very different to what Qatar was like but as Tim said in the interview on the Times website at the moment he feels that they've matured you know when he first came back into the group head of the Qatar World Cup felt like some of them were like his 10 year old you know chatting nonsense playing video games they've matured they've got young families now as a group they've come together and and a lot of that's also to do with the work that Pochettino's done.

24:41Yeah really interesting summary there I'm fascinated to see now even more this team and I'm fascinated to see this group as well I think we did so many World Cup previews didn't we I mean on the game feed that it's so hard to cover everyone but this one has slightly snuck up on me you know Group D United States and Paraguay as you say they face each other and you've got Australia and Turkey you know Australia kind of similar standing I would say to the US in footballing terms US probably thinking themselves a bit of a stronger Turkey of course one of our you know the neutrals favorite teams from last Euros.

25:16I think they've got some really talented players. So this is not a given group, is it? This is not one of those where, you know, the co-hosts have got an easy group and they should be getting through. This first game doesn't go right. The pressure is huge. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think the first game will shape the direction. I mean, particularly for the United States, because building up to this World Cup, it's all about trying to get eyeballs. You know, I mean, this week, I mean, there's all sorts of gimmicks coming to it. I think Pochettino was interviewed by Grover from Sesame Street by Fox.

25:47You know, there's all sorts of stuff going on to try and get people engaged. But people will be engaged. You know, I think we had the NBA playoffs out here in the last few days. And that takes most of people's attention. But once the World Cup really starts, it will ramp up. And when the US play, then the US will look at it. And that first game is your hook. Can they hook people in? And it's a tricky game. they're a paraguay a really stubborn opponent they're they're an interesting team because they they then their qualifiers only scored one goal from their first six games and then they changed their coach gustavo alfaro's come in argentinian veteran um went one defeat in 12 uh incredibly obstinate stubborn punchy tonight a real identity of tenacity um and i think that could be particularly problematic they're in their first world cup for i think they've missed the last couple of tournaments they they'll want to bloody some noses they'll want to spoil the party this isn't you know just about the united states gracefully entering a tournament they'll want to to make a mark make up the lost time and then you have australia who are a team that are probably certainly the weakest in the group they don't score many goals defensively they're quite solid so again could be problematic and turkeys you said which are the complete opposite tactically much more expansive some really talented young players like Real Madrid's Ardegula and Yildiz like these there's some good exciting players there and that's a real mix and if you get that first game wrong if it goes the wrong way you change the mood you know I think the main feedback I think from the US and they've been in camp for a couple of weeks now they started in Atlanta their brand new training center which is open just in time for the build-up to this tournament they played friendlies against Senegal and Germany it's really positive camp really upbeat camp at the moment you just want to keep that for as long as possible and the way to do that is you know the world cup is start well yeah absolutely I mean you talk about getting the American public behind them you mentioned the NBA finals we've all seen it this week Martin Samuel's written a column about it on the Times website about you know the New York Knicks and the fevered mania around that and understandably so what an amazing story that is in terms of the drama that they've seen on the basketball court what what is the experience that you've encountered not just on this trip so far but as you mentioned you've been over to the states to follow the team usa what what is the kind of football support like we all have these cliched ideas in england about you know soccer and people people cheering on the usa team in a very different way to what we cheer on the english team but what is it like what is it you've experienced so far in terms of the u.s support I mean, there's a core fan base that are really passionate about the US men's national team and have been for a long time.

28:32And that, I think, is growing. Obviously, with this tournament, what will be different is that you're bringing in people who aren't necessarily familiar with the sport and its day-to-day machinations. I think back to actually the last time the US played Paraguay, which was only in November and they won 2-1. It was a really competitive game. And I remember that was in Chester, just south of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. and there was a lot of, you know, you turned up and there was a lot of tailgating going on, but it was mainly Paraguay fans. And I think that's sort of what's driven the sport here is the different diasporas, different populations.

29:08And we will definitely see that. And I think that can certainly carry the tournament into the public eye, into public attention a lot more. And that should, in theory, then people will gravitate towards the US team. It is different. Culturally, it's different. the sport is in a different place in terms of its hierarchy it's unusual really for a host country for the sport not to be the top sport but the MLS has grown enormously you know I think they in terms of numbers of people engaging with it whether that's watching listening that kind of thing they they regard it as being on a par with baseball which is the third sport if not beyond it by this point and that's that's taken some doing and that's been a process since 94 which when they didn't even have the MLS that came into existence afterwards.

29:56Beckham arriving, which had a huge impact just in terms of profile. And then Lionel Messi is the most recent one. And that does a lot for the standards too, because if you're playing in the MLS, suddenly you're playing against Messi. And again, eyeballs, attention, investment. I mean, we did a piece recently, I think in the last couple of months about Inter Miami becoming a billion dollar franchise in the space of a few years. There is growth potential there. And that's why there's so much expectation on the tournament and pressure on this group to do well because they know it can be a catalyst for further progress.

30:31Yeah, you mentioned that pressure again. I think it's really interesting going into this day too. Listeners have got Bosnia against Canada. They're the other co-hosts, of course. I think they're going to be a really interesting team to watch. They've got some real talent in that team. Jonathan David is a star that's perhaps emerging and waiting for his big moment on the big stage. so by the time USA play we'll have had Mexico with their win who knows what Canada might have managed against Bosnia but they'll be hoping to at least pick up a draw in that game you would imagine so you talk about that pressure and that pressure falls back on to Pochettino doesn't it you know he's the star name the star man if anything probably the bigger star than any of the players in the team when everyone talks about Team USA it's about Pochettino just because of such a big name and you know such a familiarity with European football so just the final question and then Pete, what is success for Team USA and Pochettino with this tournament?

31:23Is it about capturing the imagination? Is it about playing style? Or is it just simply about going as deep into the tournament as they possibly can? I mean, it's certainly about going as deep as they can. I mean, certainly, I think they'll look at it and go, we want Round of 16 as a kind of benchmark to get to. But I do think it's more than that. It's about leaving a mark. It's about leaving a kind of memory that people can cling to, that can inspire people. You know, people talk, especially here about 2010, when Landon Donovan scored a very late goal against Algeria to take them through to the knockout phase.

31:55It's those kind of moments that they kind of need to have during this tournament, as well as, you know, trying to go as far and as deep as they can. And you're right. I mean, Pochettino, that's the reason they hired him. You know, Greg Berhalter was dismissed after Copa America, which was held in the United States. They didn't get out of the group. They lost to Panama. That was only two years ago. And the idea with Pochettino was to one, guide this group of players who are far more talented than what they showed in that tournament. They didn't actually get out of the group to actually play some of these big beasts, you know, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil.

32:33They didn't actually do that in that tournament. So they haven't had that measure of yardstick of their ability in a competitive environment. Pochettino is brought in to sort of guide that group, but then also to shoulder all this pressure, to take it away, to absorb, to take people's opinions, particularly with the United States. I mean, when you talk about the United States, you talk about politics, war with another participant at the moment. These kind of things can pop up and they probably will. I mean, even this week when you're looking at the number of people attaining the training sessions, like that's the kind of thing where Pochettino can be the figure that shields the players.

33:13And it's been quite interesting, actually, just observing how the US are done. And their hotel is just about 50 miles south of LA. It's near Laguna Beach. It's lovely. It's separate. And Matt Turner described it as their own oasis this week. trying to just shield them from pressure and that's what Pochettino will want to do and he's I mean on the politics topic I mean I think it was a few months ago where after the last March international just before the March international breaks I think Timothy Weyer criticized the ticket prices out here for the tournament and then Pochettino sort of chastised him for that you know just and it came across quite badly because it's a football issue It's not necessarily politics, but what it spoke to, and he then later clarified that in subsequent interviews, Pochettino, is just trying to make sure that they're focused on the sport itself.

34:07Because as I've outlined already, there's a lot of pressure for them to do well, because it's not just about performing in a host country. It's about leaving a legacy for the sport to grow where it needs that in order to develop and to inspire the next generation for further investment and so forth. So there's a lot of weight on it. And that's why Pochettino has brought in the gun for hire with big money to see if he can deliver. Yeah, big weight on it indeed. And Pete, that's exactly why we've got you embedded with the USA camp. It's going to be fascinating to see. You can keep up to date with all the goings on from Team USA in the buildup.

34:41Pete, you've written a preview as well. You can read that on the Times website now. And we'll have our daily live file keeping you up to date with the latest from Canada against Bosnia. and then Pete will be there at USA against Paraguay. It'll be fascinating to see. Pete will leave it there for now. It's just after 4am in the UK. I can see that it's getting light outside. It's currently 0-0 in Korea against Czech Republic. I'm telling you, I've been keeping an eye on it just over the corner of my screen. It's a much better game than Mexico South Africa. I'm getting excited. But Pete, thank you very much for joining me.

35:14You've done really well here, Tom. I don't know how you're still being verbally articulate. This is quite something. thank you mate I think it's mainly buoyed by speaking to such luminaries as yourself and Tom that's really given me a lift I mean listen I've still got to see it through I've done the football newsletter as well the daily world cup newsletter that's edited that's done probably strewn with errors so hopefully the subs are up in the morning but I've still got to see it through until about seven o 'clock when I hand over to Joe Hare and I've got to hand this over to Neil Cartmell our producer as well and who knows if there'll even be a podcast there we'll see if you've listened to this and you've got it all the way through you'll know that me pete and tom managed to do it on our own and how proud we will be but pete thank you very much for joining me and thank you too for listening we will be back with another daily briefing tomorrow i can't wait we'll see you then

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37:13Thank you.