On the Sidelines Podcast S2E22 USMNT Knocked Out, World Cup in Review (ft. Steve Zakuani)

This is on the sidelines with Fox 13 All right. Welcome in to another edition of the on the sidelines podcast I am your host Ethan McReynolds alongside my partner in crime D jack Dante Jackson You know where to find us the Fox local at Fox 13 YouTube page wherever you get your podcast Dante I come in today. I'm I'm pretty frustrated. Yes, the United States did not live up to the billing last night against Belgium and Yeah, I'm still pretty upset about it if you had one word to describe your feeling right now, what would that word be I would Frustrated frustrated, but like that doesn't even do it justice. I would say dejected. That's that's a good one You know, I was depressed for a good 15 minutes there after that match probably longer. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely Well, let's let's dive into this match. We're gonna welcome in our special guest for today's episode You know him you love him Sounders Levin legend Steve's acuani also with the radio broadcast team for the sounder Steve. Thank you so much for taking the time How are you doing after that one? It was a rough. It was a rough match last night It was tough. You know, I watched it with hundreds of fans down at the peer 62 here in Seattle and just when the final whistle went just that deflation and The lack of energy that came with that It was yeah, it was tough So I think you know wake up the next day the reality set in now that were out And the u.s. Is out and you have to move on but it was a great run while it lasted But I'm definitely a gut punch last night Well, it feels like it feels like games sort of happen like that Sometimes in sports where where you just don't really show up and it's just not really your day and you can't find it I mean, I'm sure and you're playing days. You've experienced that is there anything to combat the soccer gods just deciding it's not your day or or the team showing up to the field and just something is off like I feel like it's it's Your star player just sort of has to like grab the team or somebody's got to like two-foot somebody to set the tone or like So you just got to like disrupt the rhythm, but but what in your experience in your playing days? Like how does that how does that work? No, that's a great point. So I think I'm you know, but my former teammate and what's for ESPN Hercules Gomez? Former sounder he said the u.s. Picked a bad time to have a bad game and that's what it was I think they played well up until this point and I think you know You can get by in a game when two or three guys are off eight nine guys And it's really tough to overcome that and you needed and the likes of Pulisic and Balogun to show more in that moment You need that. I've just finished watching Argentina Egypt here and you know, Argentina did not play well But then when they needed it messy gets an assist and a messy gets a gold and that's what you need in those moments Is the big players to make big plays it didn't happen for the u.s. Last night It did happen for Belgium and that's knockout. I'm sucker in the World Cup when it's win or go home It's very rarely about having your very best soccer. It's about finding ways to win making small plays and The u.s. Just couldn't do that last night now Steve I see a lot of criticism for Pulisic and Balogun and somehow stars for not showing up But I don't want to leave the coach off the hook in Pochettino They saw him on the sideline losing his cool kicking water Some of the tactics used and not being able to motivate this this team that the way they came out flat That goes to leadership in my opinion straight to coach Pochettino now He got the praise to in getting them here now. He needs to receive some of that criticism. What do you say to that? No, I think it's a fair point I think he's a big coach and he was brought in for this reason to help them make a great World Cup run In a group stage when they were flying he got a lot of praise and then you have to take the good of the bad I think no tactically one of the things that was surprised to see the US know the US love to press high and win the ball up high and Belgium simply said we're not gonna give it a chance to do that We're gonna just play long balls and play a bit more direct and the US never really adapted to that and I think that was A big big miss where they should have dropped their line back a bit more being a bit more conservative of their energy I'm especially once Belgium got themselves ahead. I think after that it was a really really long way back It seemed like and so there are things he'll look I mean, he's a very accomplished was an accomplished player He's an accomplished coach So he'll know he'll look in the mirror and know that you know I could have maybe prepared the team a bit better or at least my in-game adjustments and we're not quite there He tried, you know making a halftime sub bringing on Gio Reyna It seemed like too little too late because once Belgium got a foothold and got ahead They looked quite comfortable and listen Belgium's a very good team as well, but I would say on the day Belgium's coaching job was better than the US's coaching job I I think I think the most frustrating part is you come in and absolutely Belgium Belgium has the history They have the players they have the talent but you you're playing against a vulnerable Belgium side that we've seen throughout this tournament just was not at their best and In I think the most frustrating part is we don't even know what the best iteration of this u.s National team that we'd seen throughout this tournament presumably how they would have stacked up against a Belgium side That that that to me is the most frustrating part Dante. You mentioned Christian Pulisic I wanted to ask you Steve about about him It an incredible 45 minutes against against Paraguay to open up the tournament, but then not much else What did you sort of make of Christian Pulisic his performance in the biggest tournament of his international career today? Yeah, I think he wasn't great. And I think the thing about Christian I'll say is I've been a record saying for me. He's the best outfield us player that I've seen in my time following I mean, so I'm just his level of talent what he's been able to do over in Europe at top clubs consistently and You know, so he came into this. I think super excited super pumped up for it. I don't know How fit he was after the Paraguay leaving the game at halftime. I don't know if he ever came back 100% because that first off against Paraguay I said wow, we're watching this is the guy I know he is He was unbelievable and he could never quite replicate that. He just didn't have the burst He didn't have that bounce that he normally has he couldn't get away from players in the way He normally does so only he knows and him and the medical staff and that team would know just how fit he actually was close 100% but you needed him. This tournament is the first World Cup in my life I've seen where almost all the big players are making big plays all the time, you know for England Harry Kane when you need them and back pay for France every every day Harlan for the Norwegians And you need that from Christian Pulisic. You got it from Balogun most of the time You needed a bit more from Pulisic and it wasn't quite there again still a fantastic player But I think he'll look back and say, you know, I left something on the table in this tournament When I think of this tournament Steve and I think about that game last night The word that comes to mind for me is outclassed. It seemed like the u.s. Was just simply outclassed. They wasn't on the same level as Belgium Well, who is our? Holland who is our Messi? Who was our Ronaldo? Do we have that level of player in the US system? I don't think we have that on this team. So do we have that coming down in the future? No, it's a tough one and I think you're right I think the best we produced is Pulisic and but when you do you take back the US Glasses, we watch this through and just be objective He's not you know, I wouldn't say he's on the level of the other players you've mentioned, you know France have four of them, you know Dembele, Olise, Dewey and Bape That any of them coming to the US will automatically become the best player overnight And I think the Pulisic also the gap, you know with McKinney and Adams and Reina and Tim Weir This generation they have is a good generation, but not on par with some of the top teams And I think outclassed is a fair word. It's strong, but it's fair because B, Bosnia was not a great Bosnian team Belgium they might be past their very best but they're a team that had De Bruyne on the bench, Dolku on the bench and Lukaku on the bench. Three players that will definitely start for the US Definitely and that was a there was a gulf in class and when the moment comes the top teams show up and Belgium did The US did not. I don't think the US has a player on the level of someone that could one day win the Ballon d'Or Which is what we're talking about We don't have that and so you have to find different ways to do it Use your very best players put them in a good system Try to find ways to counteract some of the better teams against you And I think the US can beat the teams on their level or the teams less than them They haven't shown yet. They can consistently beat the teams that are better than them on paper It does add a lot of another level of frustration when you think of how much the US got outclassed and they didn't even to Kevin De Bruyne didn't even play a single minute and if he steps onto the field for the US, he might be their best player Ultimately Steve. I mean, it's another round of 16 exit for the United States Given the the context of the tournament on home soil You're coming up against a Belgian team that was out of form coming into the game credit to them they put together an incredible game plan and played and and won the match, but Ultimately for the United States was this tournament a success? I think ultimately we'll look back and say yes, because there's many factors that make it a success I think before the tournament, you know many Experts or pundits did say round of 16 would be a good run I think the reason it doesn't feel that way is the way they lost You got absolutely like hammered at home 4-1 That's not good. Had it been a close 2-1 last minute we lost or maybe a bad decision against us I think then you say hey gave everything we had It just felt like we didn't give what we could have in the game And I think that's why it's disappointing but in retrospect when you look back you zoom out and you see the progress made You say it's a success because it is it's the World Cup It's a tough tournament to advance from there are definitely building blocks there We have to see what happens with Pochettino Does he stay does he not stay and which players remain part of the cycle which new young blood can they bring in? So I think yes a success in that sense But it's gonna be tough to view it that way for a while just because the nature of the defeat was so profound And we're so we're so dominant from Belgium that it's tough to see any positive from last night now Steve I don't want to call out a certain player, but I have to ask you and your expert opinion the goalkeeper freeze. What was he? I mean freeze froze What was he doing? Yeah, I was in disbelief because I think he comes out first and he makes the play first and he should have just cleared The board I mean you safety first as the goalkeeper once you're outside the box and your hands are taken away from you You got a play as an outfield player You just got clear that ball trying to make a clever pass that air of the pitch You can't do that and this Belgium team yesterday They came in motivated obviously everything happened to 24 hours preceding it the overturned red cards and all of that So they were motivated. Anyway, you were gonna get their best effort You don't have to give them any incentive and the unfortunate thing about goalkeeper is this everyone on the pitch makes mistakes The goalkeeper cannot because any mistake you make at least to a goal and it's just the way it is And that's a big one at that level making that kind of play to allow a goal There's not coming back from that and it wasn't for the US last night and so look he had a decent tournament overall, but in moments the games are won in moments the one in certain plays and That was a pretty bad play at that point and it gave Belgium a goal in the moment a very easy goal They didn't work for and that Dejected the entire stadium or the viewing parties around the nation were dejected and I think from there We kind of felt this is not gonna be our day If It's just so weird because it just felt like there were three or four mistakes that were just so out of character for this team From what we'd seen throughout this tournament and it obviously comes at the worst time All right, that's a lot of doom and gloom Steve I want to I want to try to end on on a high note because I mean Seattle Absolutely showed out you were at the pier last night. It was it was absolutely incredible at the stadium. The atmosphere was amazing What do you sort of make of Seattle showing out and Improving and showing the world that that we are one of the premier cities for this sport. Yeah, that's the biggest positive I'm taking from this tournament and this last three and a half weeks four weeks. Whatever. It's been just amazing One of the best experiences I've had in this game all the times going down to the pier To the barge down there the different fan zones around the cities or Washington the people loved it I think you know for the five six hours before kickoff the bars are packed downtown is packed Everyone's there even as much as the defeat hurt after the game, you know hanging around in the areas downtown People were still trying to have a good time. It brought the world together I think we showed that we're a very serious soccer city There are lots of fans here can put on a great event in the stadium It was absolutely unreal for the two games that were here and everything surrounding it So I think we can hold our heads high Those of us who are in this part of the world this part of the country And we did our part to support the team support the World Cup and it wasn't just the u.s Games right when Mexico played when Columbia played you can have a game with Egypt against someone and everybody's there. So I think Seattle of all the cities obviously I'm gonna be biased for me was a no-brainer as a choice And I think we proved why I felt that way now Steve I must admit looking into this World Cup and as a casual fan. I was inspired at the diversity of some of these world teams now I think we can spin that as a Success for the u.s. Because now I see that and I think we can get some of those better athletes to play soccer I think that's a culturally in America Soccer is not a very inclusive sport if you ask me But seeing this World Cup and seeing how diverse some of these teams are I think we can go into the inner cities and get some of these better Athletes and have a better team in the future to that you say what I would love to I think you know The impact of this World Cup will only be felt in the years to come You know my earliest memory of anything to do with soccer was the 94 World Cup I was living in the UK growing up in London and that was in the u.s And that World Cup is what led to them even making Major League Soccer as a league a league that I then Benefited from many couple of decades later. And so I think things like that. We don't know what's gonna come of this We don't know which programs which kid watched that and got inspired and told their mom or their dad buy me a soccer ball I'm gonna start trying to juggle and trying to play So I think you have to use that momentum. You have to go and find the players where they are I would love to see that explosion kind of in some of those inner cities Where it's just they just don't have access to it. They're just no access You have to give them access and spark the love for the game Which then watching this World Cup would have done and then you cultivate that you grow that you get them involved in grassroots soccer into programs I'm hopefully US Soccer as a federation pours a ton of money into those kinds of initiatives because you're gonna need that How do you close the gap with the rest of the world where soccer is just a part of the culture? It's a part of the fabric of part of how they live daily life We don't quite have that yet here But I think the World Cup the way we saw it the way people showed out you have to go and engage those people More than just for two weeks every four years. Well, so Steve correct me if I'm wrong I read that you you coach at the high school level as well, right? So so you you have that perspective it sort of not necessarily the youth level But the development phase in in US Soccer and then you also have the perspective of growing up in in London And how how would they do it internationally in Europe? What is what is the difference? Are there major roadblocks that we're talking about in in u.s And those youth systems that really is going to develop the next wave in the next generation of of soccer players to get us To that next level. Yeah, unfortunately, there are major roadblocks. I mean, I've coached high school I've coached a new soccer here in Washington Six seven eight years now and I've been very involved in the game I would say the example this has been talked about but for me myself personally, you know I grew up in London my older brother a couple years older also played soccer and we simply from age five six seven said hey We love the game and the next week we would join as part of a youth club. We just joined and no cost No, no barriers to entry nothing like that the amount of money the kids after the pay-to-play system is the biggest barrier is too expensive and if you have a family that Has a couple of kids two three kids that want to play you simply can't do it without outside help And so I think that's something that you've got to figure out I would love to see you a soccer get a bit more involved in taking some of those costs and burdens off the family Off the families like a lot of soccer associations around the world knowing England the Football Association there in France Those costs are absorbed by the governing body. So the players the kids can play for free. That's how you find Mbappé That's how you find a Neymar for Brazil because they don't necessarily come from the best economic Situations and they couldn't be able to have access to it So I think that financial barrier is the biggest difference between the US and all these other countries You just don't see it And so if that could ever be rectified you have an explosion overnight of kids Suddenly playing and then it's from those Thousands of kids that you find the next 50 60 that you start to develop and then those 50 60 turn into 10 5 3 2 Top top players. That's how it has to happen But the biggest barrier here is that it's just not an accessible sport like it is in other parts of the world After such a massive disappointment, you know against Belgium How do you pick up the pieces Steve? What's next for the US men's national team? What do they do? Did they go home and lick their wounds for a couple of months? I mean, what do you do after such a performance like that and you had the city you had the world on fire Rooting for the u.s. Finally, and you kind of come up short. What's next? I think the first thing they have to do is figure out a coaching situation with portrait You know, are you in or you out because right now he kind of has them in limbo a little bit I know his contract runs through the end of the World Cup I heard his comments last night saying now it's not the time to discuss this We'll sit down in the coming days or weeks and figure out that because now the next cycle begins for the next World Cup in 2040 you're not figuring out who's gonna be a part of that. What kind of infrastructure you want to build around that? So the first thing is are you gonna be our coach? If not, who can we get? That's the first thing and the second thing Unfortunately is which players are no longer going to be a part of this program because there's guys who have probably played their last Game for the US and in the World Cup for sure. Those things have to be decided and in the players themselves I think Pulisic, Adams, McKinney guys that probably would still be around in four years time They have to figure out for them I think at the club level Can they get themselves into the best situations and then at some point there's got to be some kind of team meetings or conversations What went wrong? Brutally honest and how do we build from there and fix that but the first and most important who's gonna be Leading the charge the program and that's your coach and Pochettino. He's done. Well, I would love to see him stay Does he want to stay does he get a bigger offer somewhere in Europe? Does he go back into club soccer? I don't know but they have to kind of get an answer for him sooner than later well, definitely a disappointing result against Belgium, but hopefully the u.s. Is able to Capitalize on the momentum that they developed throughout this World Cup and keep that going Steve Zacchiwani Sounders legend you'll hear him on the the radio side for the sounders throughout the rest of the season Steve big match against the the Timbers coming up on the 16th. I'm sure you're ready for that one. We'll be listening for you Thank you so much for the time. We appreciate it. Thank you guys was a pleasure. Thank you All right back here on the sidelines. Thanks as always to Steve Zacchiwani incredible insight former sounder Ethan McReynolds D jack Dante Jackson bringing in Austin Lane our producer Guys a lot to react to there Man I'm bummed. Yes. I can hear it in your voice. I'm just so it's gonna be okay I've been I've been so mad since the final because The u.s. Just didn't show up and look there's a lot to be excited about and and we'll we will talk about it You know, we talked about at the end with Steve just how Seattle showed up and it was so awesome but that even adds to the frustration because like I mean I was out there and The crowd was insane comparing the crowd to US Australia there were more u.s. Fan like there were less Opposition fans for the Belgians than there were Australia and the celebration that day was Off the chain. I mean it was insane, right? So it's really impossible for me to not think man, it would have been so cool if they'd won that game and how lit that crowd would have been in the atmosphere and Just the national spotlight and people going crazy behind the national postgame show After the u.s Finally breaks that glass ceiling and gets to the quarterfinals the first time in two decades almost a quarter century And now here we are talking about another blowout in the round of 16 for the u.s I'm really really frustrated and I think that's part of the frustration. You let me know even is the way they lost They were destroyed. Yeah, they did not show up at all You know, I talk about it all the time stars being stars our stars failed us even down to the back line a Person who I thought highly of very highly of Chris Richards. I thought he had a horrible game Tim Ream Definitely sent him out to pasture. So You know Listen listen, I'm not gonna be nice about it. It was bad I'm not sending Tim Ream out to the pasture, but his time with the international team is probably coming to an end It totally suck. He had an incredible tournament. Yeah, it's just like Everyone was saying you're not gonna show up silence the haters in that group stage for him Yeah, that's that everybody was saying like if you talk bad about Tim Ream like this is this is what Tim Ream is can do You know that game against Paraguay the game against you know, you know the group stage games all three of them He played well and yeah, but then it matters the most when does it matter the most in the knockout stage and Steve mentioned it I mean you can you can survive it two or three your players don't show up and and you know Sergino desk was one of them. I mean you're gonna talk about you he had an awful first half Yeah But I mean it's like the whole team did and but he said you can't really survive nine or ten of your players coming out and playing their worst games that they have in a minute and Yeah, I mean it's an interesting case Dante about about coaching and Getting those guys prepared to play. I I Just I wonder how much it feels like it was a psyche psychological Something that was not right with the players and the only thing that I can think of that sort of disrupted That was all the Balagan stuff off the field with the red card getting The the band getting suspended and everything. I don't know how that impacted them I can't imagine that one of their best players returning to the field would impact them negatively but maybe just all of the the media around it and the narrative and and The entire world being a little bit frustrated about that and feeling like the u.s. Is getting preferential treatment Maybe that that's really the only thing that I can think of because that performance was inexplicable from what we'd seen Throughout the entire tournament. Yes I don't think it affected the u.s. Men's national team as much as it affected. Yeah, you know Belgium Yeah, it's galvanized him You can see the actual chip on their shoulder just their pace alone their attitude their intensity was leveled up And America couldn't u.s. Men's national team couldn't reach that level from the start The intensity level was never matched by the u.s. Men's national team and that was the problem Belgium wanted it more they played harder and they were the better side It wasn't even close as far as if you saw you you looked at both teams They were totally outclassed yesterday. And sometimes that happens. It's just disappointing because You know you have stars on your team and they were playing Well, I thought they were one of the better teams in the tournament Well Belgium said hold my beer, you know, and we're gonna tell you We're gonna show you what what a real football You know squad does so and they did what they did Well, it's a good point about about it sort of lighting the fire under Belgium because this is a Belgian team that looked Completely out of sync the entire tournament and I mean, you know One thing to get you in sync would be fighting for the integrity of the sport. Yes, like they were talking about I mean like that, you know, that'll do the trick the the frustrating part is yes, Belgium played incredibly well But that's not all that like you didn't just get outplayed by Belgium. You you also beat yourselves like the amount of Sloppy errant passes the the first goal where Sugino deaths isn't the first to go and clear that ball like those are our Fundamental things those are things that you execute nine out of ten times and the u.s Wasn't able to execute it like five or six times if you don't run the probability on that, you know I mean it it's just so it's surprising. It's disappointing It's dejecting back to what you mentioned at the beginning of the show because this was the opportunity you had an out-of-form Belgium team you were as in form as you have ever been in the last couple of decades and On home soil like the Stars had aligned Yes to get to their first quarterfinal in almost a quarter century. So yeah, I'm I'm really bummed I mean you said it this this is the chance that you had I mean that jump from the round of 16 to the quarterfinal is absolutely where boys become men Yeah in this tournament and you had a chance but you ran out of men like you don't have anybody who can help you take That next step you guys talked about it in that interview with Steve just a moment ago There is nobody on this team that has a Messi or a Ronaldo or an Mbappe Mbappe ability to take over and just go win a match those guys can do that and we've seen them do that in this tournament and Like you mentioned there have been good teams, but it's all about those moments and who's creating those moments It's been their best players and we didn't get any of that from Pulisic We didn't get any of it from Balagan when you're looking for moments in in a game, you know Malik Tillman is the only one who sparked anything that was he was awesome yesterday was the 61 seconds of you Feeling like okay, we might win this match when he tied it at one. That's solely on Malik Tillman I mean that and his free kick goal in the game before that against Bosnia He pretty much was the only player Willing to take that step forward and step up in big moments and create goals and he did it single-handedly He did it without help For those to be two out of the last three goals that this team scored great for Malik Tillman But it just goes to show you there's deeper issues with this Roster and how it's set up and like you guys mentioned the whole system of United States soccer There are deeper issues that we're not addressing. Are we gonna have to keep building this team by going and finding European? Born not born European grew growing up in Europe players that were born in the u.s Nationals is you know, that's a that's a part of everything and you know, the France's the Spain's the you know All those countries they have dual nationals as well. I'm Eric Laporte was French and then he was Spanish You know, I mean like that like that stuff like that happens and that's a whole recruiting That's part of the the bigger story. It's sort of like in college sports like you rely on You know recruiting at the high school level and you also rely on transfers, right? So it's sort of similar in that regard to your point about stars Yes, the United States does not have a Messi and Mbappe a Holland Laminia mall Belgium doesn't either they have a lot of very very good players Their stars are didn't even start because they were not best for the team and what Belgium needed and they weren't playing Well up to that point with them. So yeah, I mean you need to rely on your best players but it's not like every country in the world except for the United States has a star player that they can just go and rely on and I feel like Man when like these I mentioned with Steve like these days happen in sports where you just show up and you just don't have it Yeah, things are sluggish your your body is not responding the way that it normally does you need something to upset that rhythm and Whether it whether it's two foot in a dude and setting the tone whether it's it's you know Getting in that hydration break and just screaming at everybody But I feel like it has to come from somebody on the pitch It has to come from one of your leaders and to me that guy is Christian Pulisic He is the one guy the United States has that that can take the ball and completely change the game Similar to those stars that you're talking about and he just did not show up I mean here a staff from Opta Christian Pulisic failed to record a shot or chance created against Belgium sixth time in 76 starts for the national team that he wasn't involved in a single shot and he lost possession 14 times in 59 minutes. He could not hold on to the ball now I want to stop the Christian Pulisic stuff right now because they keep telling us it seems like they keep pushing Christian Pulisic on to America and saying he's a star He hasn't showed up at all yet in a big tournament in my opinion from what I saw He's not that guy. All right, he's a great player a skilled player. He hasn't showed up for America Let's stop pushing him and let him be that player that he is. He's not our star All right I want to push back on the home soil was this our home soil because the US Probably traveled more than actual Belgium who was down at Sounders facility nice and comfy had played here I think three times already. They knew the stadium. They knew the route They look comfortable in this game up there at Seattle Stadium. They were more comfortable than the US team there's some there's something like Even if even if you are based in Pennsylvania going into Penn State on a whiteout game is something else right going in and playing In that atmosphere where everybody's screaming at you and I mean you are public enemy number one Anytime Thibaut Courtois touched the ball rains of booze from sixty six thousand nine hundred twenty five people that is playing On your away turf that is the United States Advantage right going from LA to Seattle. I'd that's not you know, that's not me Like I'm just saying every little every little advantage helps now I did find out the difference in the levels of the teams and the players we talked about, you know homegrown and Bringing players in and developing them you talk about a little cockle that came off the bench for a Belgium He can play linebacker in the NFL. That is my difference. That's a Jimmy Graham You know, we don't have linebackers on a US team Playing soccer. We don't have that. They're playing football. Yeah, so that's what we talked about with Steve How do we get these athletes the best athletes to play this sport? That's the next step to the US have to make in their development Well, it's an it's an access thing like like Steve was talking about and I'm seeing a lot a lot of posts on social media right now of people posting their The the fees of how much it costs to play you nine soccer and we're talking 3,000 to 5,000 dollars It's like you nine soccer, you know And I mean it's like you and then you get even older and the travel tournaments increase the showcases the the hundred and fifty dollar an hour Training sessions elite train, you know, like there's so much cash to grab in this sport Unlike other sports I feel like and and and yet, you know It is a fair point to say like well that hasn't really stopped development for other sports But I think you're seeing I don't know the the coaching has gotten better to where we've we've gotten involved but There's not incentive like the the access to the sport is not the same as is in Europe and it's it's a it's a massive problem I feel it's it's so frustrating because it's a cycle of four years of this conversation happening It's like, you know the u.s. Does okay, but not good enough. So we get frustrated. Okay, what's the problem? It's youth sports and and the the way the system is set up. Okay, we're mad about that for two months Okay, then we go back to our everyday lives. Oh the World Cup's back. Let's see. Let's see what oh they did They did okay, but not good enough. Oh, what's the problem? It's youth sports. Well, you know, it's like yeah, it's the same It's and I thought that this was the opportunity to sort of break that mold Steve mentioned 1994 the World Cup that was in the United States. That is what spurred on MLS and and when he eventually played Like I was thinking the u.s. Makes the quarterfinal. I mean that is going to galvanize this country Not that it didn't I mean it being on it absolutely made an impact but to take it to the next level Yes, and unfortunately the team just wasn't able to accomplish. Yes, they needed to yeah They needed to take it to the night and you called it last on last week's podcast You said you have to win a match that you're not supposed to you have to punch above your weight class I mean you you called it to perfection. They needed to win this game. You had America on fire You had us on the hook. I was on the hook. I'm ready You know, I'm ready to see my daughter out there with a soccer ball like get out there go, you know So, you know, you had us on the hook and the way it ended with kind of no fight No fight, that's was so disappointing that the destruction at the end You know just left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Awesome. What go go for it I think there was one thing that the team did successfully in this tournament and that was create a new generation of fans Yeah, and maybe turn some casual fans into okay Maybe soccer is one of the sports that I love to watch Whether it's international play or whether now you're going to go to a Sounders game or you know Subscribe to MLS season pass because of what you saw in this World Cup They did a good job at setting like you guys said the country on fire and getting them interested in soccer But we say it time and time again and you're right. It's a cycle of four years It's not just about having fans You got to create that next generation of really good players and those kids are out there watching this World Cup and getting excited to go play soccer now and they're going to absolutely run into those paywalls into those roadblocks along their journey and Like Steve mentioned you have to set it up differently It's gonna take big big changes, but you would hope that maybe I mean who knows Maybe it goes all the way up to lawmakers in the White House of changing the way that it's set up in this country to make it way more accessible for kids to grow and learn and succeed in the game of soccer and Way more easy for parents to let them do that that there's two Problems that you have to solve one is finding the kids and two is keeping them in the system and not Forcing them out because it costs so much or because there's so much travel or things like that Yeah, I mean it absolutely had a positive thing. I just really hope this last game does not Push the casuals away like it does it I just hope it doesn't sour the experience for them too much Because that was a big letdown and I mean like You know Man, that just it just takes all the air out of the balloon a little bit now to your point go into a Sounders game Or what it like the Sounders and rain they have if you've never been in your casual Soccer fan every four years. They have free matches for first-time fans So go take advantage because I mean the first Sounders game that they are back They take on the Timbers the rain second matter of first match I believe back is against the Thorns These are the biggest rivalries in the entire country as far as the domestic leagues go So soccer doesn't just go away because the World Cup is gone. There's so a lot of exciting stuff going on, especially here look you saw how Great of a soccer town Seattle is those rivalry matches are absolutely incredible and then and then playoffs as well Just magical stuff and the Sounders are always in it. The rain are sort of ascending right now with a lot of young talent So there is a lot of good stuff there They can fix it though They can keep this interest going. Yeah, it kind of came to an abrupt end But what's next for this u.s. Men's national team? I'd like to see their friendlies more televised I'd like to see their journey Televised from this point on to keep me on the hook for the next four years They need to be more publicized. You have characters on those teams. You have some personality on those teams. You have some Expectations so the drama is there the entertainment value is there now that I want to see more of them I want to see Fox show them at the next friendly or something like that So just keep us on the hook with this team in particular And I think once they get that exposure and keep that exposure you will have more players playing. Yeah Well, it isn't they are normally nationally televised games, but I feel like it's not marketed too Well, I mean, yeah I'm like a huge soccer guy and like like oh crap like the u.s. Played yesterday in a friendly like I just didn't even like right It wasn't even like on my radar until the World Cup started and I started to Seek that stuff out like the Senegal game and then the Germany game right before the World Cup and stuff was super on that but before that Belgium Portugal games the games were that in the October window and stuff like like oh dang it like you just played yesterday Yeah, I wasn't really watching like and those were like significant matches and as far as like Mauricio Pochettino Finding is starting 11 and all that stuff So I I I will definitely be more on high alert and I feel like that's one of the impacts of the World Cup I I'm a big soccer guy so I can only speak to my experience like the next time the u.s Men's national team is playing. I'm gonna be like locked and loaded and ready to go Yeah, and I was already a big soccer guy I'm gonna be like even more invested and I hope that other people are in the same boat of Investing before Not just every four years. I think I'm there I think beyond that even I think the city of Seattle should seek out hosting more International friendlies or Gold Cup matches here in Seattle based on put ourselves on the map, right? We have we have vouched the thing. The thing is is the no grass. That is the biggest roadblock Keep the grass keep the grass guys. Yeah, so but as far as next steps Mauricio Pochettino His contract is up the it is reported that the the u.s. Wants him to stay they've approached him about a contract Extension he said after after the match yesterday against Belgium. It's not the time to talk about it We're gonna you know sit and process and revisit in a couple of weeks They need they need him to come back the yes, you can point to coaching that that is a valid I don't I don't put it all on coaching the performance yesterday against Belgium, but that's absolutely a valid Route that you can go Mauricio Pochettino Transformed this national team and and they played a brain of ball that we we I don't think have ever seen probably since 2002 the fact that they brought in an outsider and they got out of the the inner-politics of American soccer We saw last World Cup with Greg Berhalter and Claudio Reyna and all of the beef that is internalized Within the you want to call it a good old boys club just friends getting those opportunities having an outsider come in and Invigorate the passion of what it means to actually live football and live or die by it Getting an Argentinian head coach getting a European. I mean that is a game changer and I mean We are a country that has all the resources in the world We showed it when we when we you know went out of our pockets and made Mauricio Pochettino with the third or fourth Highest paid international coach at the time So go and make sure that he stays now whether he wants to stay in the number one. Oh, yeah You go ahead probably be number three right now You're going to take him in the number one now I do give him partially the blame for yesterday's loss as a coach. You have to take that you are leadership I want him back. I'm not saying I don't want him back. Yeah Hey, don't go there I want him back now him being non-committal and not saying we're gonna come back and I mean And saying it with his chest that worries me Because right now you have European clubs just throwing the bag at him Yeah, it would be hard for him to turn that down money cannot be a factor in this decision U.s. Give him a blank check. We want to see this program this team to be successful and make it I mean even round the 16 and beyond but I think I think that's what makes it a little bit more frustrating that you weren't Able to capitalize on the opportunity because it is very much so believed or I guess heading into the tournament He was linked to AC Milan. They've since filled their head coaching role But it was sort of believed that Pochettino wanted to use this as a bridge to then get into club soccer and to be sort Assuming this is the only time that you're gonna have Mauricio Pochettino. So it's like Talked about all the stars aligning we didn't I mean like that might be the last game that Mauricio Pochettino ever coaches for the United States men's national team and It might be the last time that we see that iteration and and you can give him blame for the game yesterday's But you have to give him credit for how the team looked throughout the group stage and then and then winning that knockout game against Bosnia Yes, regardless of if he's coming back or not I don't want it to be one foot in one foot out I if we're gonna get a new coach go find him right ASAP because I want to see what a coach Who has four years to prepare for the next World Cup can do with where the rosters already at? Deciding who to keep around and who to who to you know, move on from I wish that was Pochettino, obviously But if it's not go find somebody else and give them full control and let them do what they need to do to create in Their mind what could be a successful 2030 World Cup team? well And that was one of the big Concerns heading in was you fired Greg Berhalter after Copa America less than two years before the start of the World Cup So this is Mauricio Pochettino with less than two years of preparation So, I don't know. I mean Yeah, I would love to see what he could do if he has his hands on the entire framework of the national team that would just be so exciting to me and Yeah, he keeps talking about the trajectory of the program I really hope that What he saw here was enough to convince him to stay sort of similar to Josh Naylor and and you know You get him at the trade deadline and then the mayor's go on this incredible run and that impacts his decision and free agency Like yeah, the experience over here was so awesome that it makes me want to stay I was thinking if the u.s. Makes it to the quarterfinal. Oh, man Like how much of a sales pitch would that be? You know what I mean, and so I just hope that that performance doesn't just make it all crumble down I think I think real quick. Sorry DJ I think real quick not making it to the quarterfinal wants him to stick around because He knows that he had that opportunity to play against Spain in the quarterfinal And if you lose to Spain you kind of throw your hands up and go, okay, that was kind of our ceiling That's right. All I could have done to help this team now The fact that he didn't get over that last hurdle that final stretch of this run Might make him come back and might make him want to come back more than before. That was my point. Exactly This is exactly what I was just about say unfinished business. Yeah I mean you had what a less than two-year runway to get this team together and now Saw what they could do you leave with that sour taste in your mouth? And I saw him basking in the praise when he made it out that group stage in a day chant Chino He's just soaking it in it's something about the u.s You know, you know the world we perceive them to not like us and most people perceive it They want to be us. They want to be us and Pochettino included. So I think he comes back I think what you have to pay him you have to you can't lowball him You've got to make him the highest paid coach in soccer Immediately and then you'll have more players like Freeman Nobody heard of that He brought in and he broke up the system and brought in players like that You need more players like that and you need a mind like Pochettino's. I love what he brings to the table I mean, you know, so bring him back. Definitely Austin really really quick as we wrap up both you guys. What was this World Cup a success for the US? I don't think so I think winning this this game against Belgium reaching the quarterfinal would have been considered a success success You see all the reactions to how they didn't get there and all the players Reacting after the game and Pochettino reacting to the game You can tell that this was not a success to them and I'm on their side with that as a fan I would have liked to see them break through that barrier and make it to that quarterfinal for the first time in a while and Go and prove to everybody what you are capable of and they did not do that Dante I would say no simply because of that last game you got destroyed after having a world the country on fire Finally you had everybody behind them all the stars aligned and you came up with that performance at the end I cannot call this a success after a performance like that Yeah I I also have to say no and Steve mentioned that Maybe it feels that way right now because of the way in which the u.s. Lost like maybe it would be different if they lost a heartbreaking 90th minute goal or an extra penalty kicks. I just feel like That's a Belgium team. You should have been able to beat you know Like I mean, you're you're ranked around 15th in the world. Belgium's ranked around 10th in the world. It's not like they're Argentina or Spain or France and and they're 20 20 ranks above you or whatever We saw Cape Verde push Argentina to the brink. We saw that dr. Congo push England to the brink today Up to nothing on Argentina and another team that I think this United States can almost model what they want to do off of is Morocco, they're a team without a superstar who made it to the semifinal four years ago here They are back in the quarterfinal of this tournament They found a way to do it and they have a really good chance to beat France as well That that is going to be a I mean they're gonna stack up right with the most talented team in the entire in terms of expectations versus what is actually Happening on the field you have to look to Morocco as your kind of inspiration of what this United States team Can do if all if they play their cards correctly and also things go, right? Yeah, I I just hope that we're able to build on this momentum and that loss doesn't set us back Sort of similar to how Brazil losing 7-1 to Germany on home soil in 2014 They have had zero aura since so I really hope that it's not the same 7-1 loss is very different than a 4-1 loss in a semifinal that is very different and Brazil had Expectations to win that whole tournament. So alright that is going to do it for us Incredible World Cup. Oh, yeah, I mean Seattle the scene was just absolutely incredible It sucks the US and how they finished it off But man Seattle hosting a group stage match the clinical one where they clinch and then a round of 16 match I was walking around from 8 a.m. To 6 p.m. Last night and then I parked myself right inside of Victory Hall for the whole game It was fun. I was down at the waterfront. I was in the March man. I got lucky. I had the day off work So, there we go. The Emerald City shine. What more can you say? Yeah, absolutely incredible stuff So that's gonna do it for us You know where to find us Fox local app Fox 13 YouTube page wherever you get your podcast Follow us on Instagram at on the sidelines podcast We're posting a lot of our clips and debate there for Austin Lane D jack Dante Jackson. I'm Ethan McReynolds See you next time on the sidelines. Let's go on the sidelines is available wherever you get your podcast