Hour 1: USA falls to Turkiye, Mets fire Mendoza

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0:43Visit HomeDevo.com How doers get more done This is the Rich Eisen Show Hey everybody Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck You can find us everywhere Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus From noon to 3 Eastern Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime But here's the best part Our YouTube channel Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. Oh my God, you guys are my favorites. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen. I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show.

1:28With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant. Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me, it saves time. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Brian Weber. Welcome to the program. Always an honor to sit in for Rich and the guys. This is the football show of record. As you know, today we're talking football, the first of many annoying references from the pitch from a middling former soccer play-by-play announcer, World Cup Fever Catch-It. We knew the United States had already clinched the spot in the round of 32 against Bosnia Herzegovina, which normally I say slowly, but I spat that one out with alacrity on a big word Friday.

2:18Heading into last night's glorified exhibition against Turkey or Turkey, as we say in the States. Don't tell that to the passionate crowd that showed up at SoFi Stadium. Yeah, I'll call it SoFi because I don't work for FIFA. having to rebrand the stadium as Los Angeles Stadium. Here in Southern California, it was electric, especially as we, I'm going Team USA, we, we, we, knocked it in off the set piece three minutes into the game. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end of an exhibition. We'll tell you the significance coming up, But as much as I would love to flex my soccer knowledge and regale you with stories of seeing Pele in 1977 playing for the New York Cosmos, a giant stadium, I cannot destroy Rich's impeccable brand.

3:14So we'll get to the soccer coming up in 20 minutes. We will, as always, try to get as much NFL into the mix as possible. Coming up in 45 minutes, I don't know what's going on with Brandon Ayuk. Apparently, he believes he can talk his way out of the San Francisco Bay Area. We'll give you the latest on his meltdowns on social media. And we'll talk about another personnel move that the Niners, I think, should give a lot of serious thought to. Only a couple guests. And if you're new to the Brian Weber experience, going third person as a fill-in hack, I do my best to give you as many opportunities to interact as possible.

3:57You know the iconic phone number, 844-204-RICH, 844-204-7424. You can hit me up on the X platform. That is B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs, wide open in the first hour. In fact, we will not have an outside voice join us unless you pick up the telephone until 1.20 Eastern time when we get World Cup analysis from Stephen Goff of Yahoo Sports. So I had everything mapped out beyond my Pele anecdotes and taking you back to the heyday of major indoor soccer. Steve's jungle and your New York arrows. Late 1970s. Yes, I'm 140 years old. And with all of the excitement across the United States, especially in host cities like Los Angeles, I was justified going heavy on the World Cup.

4:54But I had a moment of clarity after all. And I don't want to use the term meaningless because there is meaning every time you take the field in the World Cup. But we knew there was no consequence because the United States coming off their outstanding start with back to back wins and World Cup play for the first time since 1932. They made the semifinals. You probably didn't know that, nor should you care about that. They had already booked a spot into knockout play. Turkey had a lot to play for from a standpoint of personal pride because they had been held scoreless and they had already been eliminated.

5:30So you figured with the United States resting everybody of significance, nine different roster changes from the winning combination that took down Australia a week ago, it would have a very different feel. So I was just going to use what happened on the field as a catalyst for a larger conversation, which we'll get to in 15 minutes. I'm Brian Weber, traffic and weather together here on ESPN Radio, 844-204-RICH. Conversation never stops on the X platform, B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs. But I had to call an audible because about an hour and a half ago, the Mets did another Mets-like thing. And if I wanted to be snarky and I'm trying my best to be more expansive in my thought process, have a growth mindset.

6:21But if I wanted to take the low road, which, after all, is the foundation of sports talk radio, I could pose this hypothetical. What's more likely, the United States, we, Team USA, winning the World Cup or the Mets ending their decades of dysfunction? Now, I was around in 1986. I was still in high school. I witnessed the greatest comeback in my lifetime, even though I also just witnessed what the Knicks did in Game 4 against the Spurs. But those of us who still love baseball will never forget Game 6, 1986 World Series. And the Mets were just in the championship series a couple of years ago, but they are the Mets after all.

7:07They are a coffin on rollerblades in many ways. And they proved today with the dismissal of Carlos Mendoza, really putting him out of his misery because he was going to be dead man walking either way. If they gave him a little bit more rope and let him play out the string because the Mets with just 34 wins are essentially rock bottom. Although when you consider that over the history of this franchise, they always find a way to go even lower. But in terms of the overall big picture, only the Rockies and the scuffling Giants with their overmatched manager, Tony Vitello, making the jump straight from college baseball at Tennessee and clearly has not earned the respect of at least Rafael Devers.

7:56Only Colorado and San Francisco have fewer wins than the imploding Mets. So it was only a matter of time that Carlos Mendoza was going to pay the price. Andy Green, if you care about the interim status, will guide the team for the rest of the year. But if you're thinking, okay, why now? They had to do something. And I realize there's so much going on this week. And as a veteran of vacation fill-in shifts, and if you enjoy the small sample size, I don't want to get greedy, but I will be back next Friday. And then we get to what used to be the death zone of Sports Talk Radio. But now, since we're all soccer aficionados, we got a lot to cover in the next few weeks before Rich triumphantly returns.

8:42The Mets got a national benefit of most shows focusing on World Cup Beaver and a monster week in the NBA. And if I'm talking Mets here, it's only because they forced me to. And they really were forced to make the decision because, in addition to just an atrocious season overall, they have been scuffling as of late. Six more losses in a row. A four-game sweep to the Cubs. And if you caught any of the highlights on SportsCenter or here on ESPN Radio, it felt very Bad News Bears-esque. Play the old Benny Hill theme underneath, error after error. So with the embarrassment mounting, Steve Cohen had to do something, and that something was whacking Mendoza.

9:37In fairness, just a couple years ago, because this bears repeating, the Mets, after a dismal start, got way hot. Remember that unlikely run all the way to the National League Championship Series. But when you have the second highest payroll in all of baseball, as the Mets do, And when you have an owner who has, understandably, with that level of investment, a very demanding outlook, something's got to change. The roster's locked in for now. And probably not a coincidence that prior to Mendoza getting the axe, yesterday the Mets traded David Peterson, who was an all-star pitcher a year ago, to the Cubs.

10:20even though just the day before their GM, David Stern, said his, and I'm paraphrasing, his plan, if there is a plan in Queens, was to give his team as much opportunity and time as possible to show they could compete before making his decision about being a buyer or seller heading into the trade deadline, which is less than five weeks away now. Well, what changed? It got so ugly during that sweep by the Cubs that the Mets had to do something. Because if you're familiar at all, even from the distance of the great expanse we have here on ESPN Radio nationwide, or perhaps I'm giving you a sense of it with my very intense delivery, New York is a different market.

11:12Not only is losing unacceptable, if you are as grotesque as the Mets have been, something's got to give. So Mendoza put out of his misery. I'm surprised he made it this far because if you go back to the beginning of the season after that atrocious April, the majority of his coaching staff had gotten fired then. And they gave Mendoza just a little bit more time, I think, with the afterglow of getting to the NLCS. just a couple years ago. So the Mets hoping there'll be a Rob Thompson effect, like we've seen with the Phillies, swap out the manager. Philadelphia brings in Don Mattingly, who's working for his son, Preston, the GM.

11:57That's got to be an interesting dynamic. Hey, son, what do you think? What should I do in the three-hole here? Because we know the modern managers, even Donnie Ballgame, one of the heroes of my youth, follow what the analytics department says in the front office for most major decisions. But whatever the impact of changing the manager was in Philadelphia, it's worked because the Phillies have come alive. They're in second place in the NL East behind the Braves, right, in the mix of the wild card conversation. Here's the problem for the Mets. Last time I checked, even though they have the second highest payroll in all of baseball, they don't have Bryce Harper.

12:38They don't have Kyle Schwarber. However, they don't have Christopher Sanchez because this is a terribly flawed roster. Now, I don't want to sound like I'm auditioning to do overnight at WFAN in New York City. And I realize I am supposed to be dispassionate as a national host. But when I get talking about the Mets, I have decades of bad memories that come alive. And the difference of the Mets, say, 1979 with Lee Mazzilli is this. That Mets organization was cheap. They were terrible because they spent no money. This team is throwing money at every problem, lighting, bushels filled with cash on fire, and getting nothing in return.

13:23And I realize injuries are a significant issue. No one so early on. They just got Francisco Lindor back. But even with fully healthy, if you're just looking at the roster, stack it up against L.A.'s in a different stratosphere because of their unlimited resources. Although the Mets payroll, I keep belaboring this point, is comparable. The problem with the Mets, and I think any objective observer had this inkling coming into the year, was this is a poorly constructed roster. And that's on GM David Stearns, who will be the next to go. Now, I mentioned the Mets and the Dodgers at the top of the list when it comes to throwing money at their issues.

14:07And it works for the Dodgers because they also have a brilliant front office led by Andrew Friedman. That's the key distinction between L.A. and New York. But it also points out what's going on from a larger perspective, because we know a lockout's coming at the end of the year. The owners are demanding a salary cap. And even an additional wrinkle was thrown out yesterday. Trying to cap free agency at six years if you're re-signing your own guy, five years if a star goes to a different team. All of this because the owners can't help themselves. They want to put on handcuffs to keep them from spending money ridiculously, like Steve Cohen has.

14:47And they want the players to suffer from that in terms of economic growth by slapping a cap on them. So let's hear from ESPN baseball reporter Jesse Rogers. He weighed in on game night here on ESPN Radio on how MLB is trying to frame their salary cap proposal. The salary growth of Major League Baseball players has actually gone slower than the other leagues who are in a cap system. This would create a partnership between the league and the union where they'd both be invested to grow the sport and grow the revenues. This is what's happening in the other sports. This is something they're going to hammer home until this thing gets figured out.

15:31The idea that the rate of growth of salaries has actually been slower than the other players in the leagues with a cap system. That's why they think the players should go along with it. Well, you can think whatever you want, And I think there's also a reason why all of this is being dropped so early in the process to try to sway fan sentiment against the players. But I'll say it again. This is all about the owners trying to find ways, like we've seen in the NBA, that has effectively killed free agency to put themselves in a financial straitjacket so they don't have the ability to burn through all their cash if they want to.

16:14because Steve Cohen, as much as Mets fans appreciate his willingness to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, will only stop if there's a cap and there's no way of just opening his wallet and trying to buy his way to a championship, which the Mets have proven time and time again they have no idea how to achieve that goal. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich, just getting warmed up on a busy Friday. They hop aboard at 844-204-RICH. That's 844-204-7424. Coming up, we'll head to the pitch. Soccer has become such a phenomenon, it's forcing me to delay NBA conversation until the next hour of the program. What a development.

16:56Breaking news. Now that we have seen Team USA shine in a pair of meaningful matches and last night's pseudo-friendly against Turkey, what does it all mean? We'll let you know coming up. Always an honor to keep the chair warm for Mr. Eisen. I'm Brian Weber in for rich on the Rich Eisen show.

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18:04And we're still doing it every day because the future isn't some far off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Rich Eisen here. You can always tell when something big is happening in a city. I know what it's like when I'm traveling for big games and events. I remember being in Pittsburgh earlier this year and experiencing the beautiful architecture and passion those fans have for their home teams. That was so infectious. Now it was a great trip, but you know what it's like dealing with the travel. The airport is packed, hotels are booked up, restaurants all busy.

18:37And when you have that kind of influx of visitors in your city, a lot of them are searching for a place that feels a little bit more like home during their trip. That's why this can be a smart time to think about listing your own space on Airbnb. If you've got plans to be away this summer, consider listing your space on Airbnb while you're gone and earn some extra cash. It's simple. You're already traveling, so your place doesn't just sit empty while your city is busy. And from my experience on the road, having a comfortable home base can change the whole experience of a trip. So whether it's a big sports weekend, a concert series or a major event coming to your area, this could be the right time to list your space on Airbnb.

19:17Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb dot com slash host.

19:37the rich is a show podcast as we ease into what for many people is a long holiday week i'm back with you next friday and because i know none of you have access to a calendar on your phone i'm going to go old school get my day planner out here because july 4th is a saturday July 3rd is a national holiday. So max it out like many smart people do. If you have to work today and next week, you have my permission, my FCC authorization as a fill-and-host to mail it in as we reach the early stages of what should be an awesome sports summer. Reminder, you can catch ESPN radio through a variety of ways.

20:26brand new espn app sirius xm channel 80 my former employer and good friends to tune in 844-204-rich the number to call 844-204-7424 or hit me up on x bw weber weber with two b's we never stray too far from the nfl on the football show of record coming up in just over 20 minutes the latest on brandon iuke we're not on brandon iuke watch watch watch watch watch because he has destroyed any trade value he might have had, which was small, before his constant antics on social media. And they're going to throw out a trade as an amateur GM. I think my fellow Palo Alto alum, John Lynch, who's had a better career, yours truly, or the Hall of Famer, should consider, based on a glaring need the Niners have up front and trying to keep pace with LA Rams in the toughest division in all of football with the reigning champs in Seattle nobody's talking about other than losing the Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III, to the Chiefs.

21:34Let's get to what happened last night. Now, as much as I want to, because I keep flexing my soccer credentials, what else can I tell you? I've done decently high-level college soccer before the Pac-12 got murdered. I realize the conference is going to continue, but a conference that has Texas State is not the Pac-12. Back in the day, which was just two years ago, being around national champion programs like Stanford and UCLA, I learned a ton. Plus, and I should not be mentioning I'm older than 34. I'll never be back. I know it's the 18 to 34 demo. My generation was the soccer generation. when the old nasl blew up when the stars like pele and canalia and beckenbauer came to the states we all played soccer and then the sport meandered a spike in 1994 the last time we had the world cup here leading to the mls couple years later and i'm going to talk momentarily about where soccer fits in in the overall landscape however even if you're hearing me talk soccer and you're reaching for the dial if that's still a thing you're in the vast minority if you don't care about the sport i understand if you want to go old school soccer bashing any sport that you can't use your hands that's a you problem if you have no appreciation for the beautiful game i get it But in no way can you undermine what a spectacle and phenomenon this tournament has become here in the United States from a human element.

23:12And we'll talk about all of the great interaction between international visitors enjoying American hospitality coming up in a moment. In terms of what happened last night here in Southern California, I'm Brian Weber coming to you from our Regal Studios, ESPN 710 Los Angeles. Thanks to the crew and all my friends here for the hospitality. And Southern California has been alive with this tournament, in part because it's always been a soccer hotbed. Last night coming in, we knew there was nothing on the line because the United States had such a promising start, going back-to-back with victories over Paraguay and Australia.

23:49So conventional wisdom said, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino followed that logic, rest everybody, nine big roster changes, coming off the win over that physical Australian team. And importantly, that included what was happening in goal as Matt Turner came in and got burned with the game on the line. U.S. jumped out to that quick lead off the set piece, as we say in the soccer fraternity, corner kick, three minutes in. It was spectacular and good to see reserves, namely Austin trustee get his first international goal. If you care about the particulars, Turkey came back, led 2-1. Greg Berhalter's son, Sebastian, making his own name.

24:35His father, of course, the former two-time head coach of the USNMT. I flipped that one. Men's national team. I'm always bad with acronyms. 2-2, went to stoppage time, and in the final seconds, Turkey prevailed 3-2 on a late goal. But the headline in terms of important development was the return of the player who's going to end his career as the greatest American soccer player of them all. Certainly the most skilled we've ever seen. That is Christian Pulisic. Even if you don't follow the sport, you know that name. And, you know, he had the calf injury. Came in with about 32 minutes left. had a good shot on frame and played a good chunk of time when he entered the field to play in the second half as i said all told more than 30 minutes of match time so what does it all mean well after the game a legitimate sports journalist unlike myself jeremy schaap offered his perspective on game night here on espm radio on what we learned from last night's loss to turkey i think the most The important thing we learned is that Christian Pulisic looks fully fit.

25:43I mean, everything else, right, was officially meaningless. There were 10 guys starting out of the 11 who were on the bench when the game against Paraguay 13 days ago started. Only Weston McKinney among this team's core of starters was there at the beginning tonight. You know, what we were all waiting for in terms of what matters most going forward was seeing Christian Pulisic in action. He hadn't played in 13 days. He only played in that first half against Paraguay. He comes into the game tonight in the 58th minute, and he was electric. He looked great. He immediately energized USMNT, and they played very well, I would say, in the first 30 minutes of that second half.

26:29So I think that's my biggest takeaway. So positives in the loss, namely the return of the American superstar. Now, I can't go all rah, rah, rah, rah. I'd lose my gig. We have to have some negativity in this industry. Here's something that jumped out to me last night, and it resonated because it wasn't a one-off. Why did that game start first touch, as we say on the pitch, at 10 o 'clock Eastern? No justification at all. I understand it's a global audience and those watching in Turkey, they might have aligned with their schedule. But if the goal is to continue to build the sport domestically, especially connecting to casual fans, you can't start it that late.

27:18Go back to last week, the win over Australia. I realize now Juneteenth is deservedly a national holiday, but it was odd to start that game at 3 p.m. Eastern noon here on the West Coast. although think about how raucous it was in Seattle for that game new local time start what would have been like if it was played at say five o 'clock I think the entire stadium would have come off its moorings but I'm being a bit nitpicky here I don't want to go negative and in fact I don't want to tell you what to watch or what to like and I'm not going to use what the American side is doing to come up with a thermonuclear preposterous viewpoint like, well, soccer is going to blow past baseball and become right there with the NBA on a tier below football.

28:12That's not going to happen. Maybe not in my lifetime, and hopefully I've got another 40 years. But what it could mean is the continued growth, especially for casual fans, of a sport that has exploded going back to when I was lucky enough to cover the World Cup 1994. I saw the Mystic Knights of Cameroon. I saw Brazil play at Stanford Stadium. And I mentioned the direct output of American fans feeling energized by what happened in that World Cup. Nothing to do with our performance. There was nothing historic about Alexi Lalas and his teammates, but it was soccer becoming much more mainstream and developing a connectivity.

29:00And what has occurred in the intervening decades is back then you didn't see stars like Maradona and to track soccer. I remember because I work for Sports Channel Pacific in the San Francisco Bay Area. We would get the English Premier League highlight show a week later and run it 11 o 'clock on a Sunday night. And I would say because I love soccer since being a kid who had no athletic talent, and they'd stick you on a back line and hope that you wouldn't whiff when you were trying to slow down a striker coming your way. In terms of what's happening on the field, this is the most athletic American team I've seen, and some of that comes down to not only the personnel selection but the attacking style that Pochettino is emphasizing.

29:47Think about the additions of, say, Falarian, Mulligan, and what he has meant to this team with his energy and intensity. So it is not implausible, especially given how the draw is set up. And if you don't care that much about soccer, I understand. But context matters. Remember, they expanded the field from 32 to 48 teams. And the direct result is this is the highest scoring World Cup we've had in decades, in part because there are some overmatched squads out there. But the United States is not in charge of who they play and when they play. It is their responsibility to seize the opportunity. And they've done that so far.

30:34And as things continue to line up well for them, if you care about the FIFA rankings, and the United States was 15th last night, they're taking on Bosnia-Herzegovina, who's currently number 64 in the world. A better team in general than that ranking would indicate. Still, the United States favored not only to advance because they can get through with a tie, but to win outright when they get together coming up on Wednesday in Santa Clara in the San Francisco Bay Area. And if the scenario that's being kicked around holds, should they win that match, they move on to the round of 16 in Seattle with that electric atmosphere to take on Egyptian team, currently number 29 in the rankings.