Christian and Max break down the main talking points from the USMNT October window, which included a disappointing 3-1 loss to Germany and a dominant 4-0 display over Ghana.
Reaction to a crazy few hours in American soccer.
Christian and Lodge are back for another episode!
Chicago USMNT Tailgate Announcement! (0:00)
We give our first word on Messi's move to Inter Miami in the MLS. (2:30)
In Christian's Super Bowl, we review the club season for the core of the USMNT. (9:30)
Finally, we preview the upcoming USA v Mexico Nations League Semifinal. (56:00)
Timeline
Watch Parties (1:20)
Netherlands Game Recap (3:35)
Jesus Ferreira Starts? (15:30)
Berhalter out (17:15)
Second Half (22:25)
Were the USA gassed from the Iran game? (27:45)
Our USMNT Holiday Wishlist (29:35)
In the final episode of the year, Christian Lee, Lodge Dils and Max Heath put a bow on the World Cup for the USMNT. We discuss the Netherlands loss and whether Gregg Berhalter should continue as manager before diving into our holiday wishlist. The boys give their opinions on what needs to happen for the USMNT to take the next step: including a potential solution to the striker problem, a brash proclamation on Gio Reyna and a suggestion for getting our players at the highest level.
Timeline:
Introductions (0:00)
Main Man: Yunus Musah (3:00)
Dual Nationals & Recruiting (6:00)
The Breakout Player’s Stage (12:05)
Group A-D (17:35)
Group E-H (22:25)
Group of Death & Weakest Group (27:00)
Knockout Round (30:30)
Sleepers & Futures Picks (36:00)
The final episode of the Crash Course. We will be doing USA game recaps, but school is out! Christian Lee, Lodge Dils and Max Heath are once again joined by casual fan Michael Sturm. We start by introducing the last piece of the puzzle for the USA: projected World Cup breakout star Yunus Musah. The boys about Yunus’ decision to pick the USA over his other options, the important role of dual nationals in this team, and Gregg Berhalter’s strength in recruiting. Next, the crew discusses World Cup breakout stars of the past, and why Musah is considered a candidate. (Watch on YouTube for best quality) For the good stuff, World Cup brackets are filled out, picking each individual group as well as the group of death and weakest group. Finally, the knockout rounds are chosen to determine a champion of the world.
Timeline
Introductions (0:00)
Who are the odd men out v Wales? (2:55)
Tim Weah (5:30)
Gio Reyna (9:05)
Brendan Aaronson (15:15)
USA v Wales Lineups (19:00)
Wales Overview (25:00)
England Overview (29:45)
Iran Overview (34:50)
Group Standing Predictions (39:00)
The Producer’s Shock Prediction (41:00)
After an 8.5 year wait, we are oh so close! Casual fan Michael Sturm joins the full crew: Lodge Dils, Max Heath and Christian Lee. The USA open their World Cup against Wales on Monday. We start by discussing the “odd men out”: Which two talented attackers will be benched in the fight for the last starting spot? The crew then gives our finalized lineups from top to bottom, with Max breaking out an unconventional approach. The boys then outline the three other adversaries in the group: Wales, England and Iran, talking about their best players, play styles and big storylines. The final group predictions are made. Lastly, the producer squeezes in for his take, which includes a shock twist pick to advance.
Timeline
Introductions & Agenda (0:00)
Carter’s Arsenal 5 minutes of fame (4:50)
Brief History of USMNT (5:35)
Vocab: New England Slang (16:15)
The 2018 Qualifying Disaster (23:40)
Matt Turner Feature (27:30)
The Main Man: Goalie Matt Turner (29:15)
USMNT GK Position Battle (38:00)
The Play Style Debate (39:45)
Turner’s Hedge: Arsenal FC (43:00)
Christian Lee and Lodge Dils are joined by Arsenal superfan and USMNT casual Carter Spearry. Carter talks about his love for the game stemming from watching the 2010 World Cup, which led him to eventually calling Lodge’s soccer games in high school. We go over a brief history of the USMNT @ World Cups. With Carter being a Boston College grad and our main man Matt Turner playing for New England, we grill Carter on New England vocab in an entertaining segment. We gloss over the disaster of 2018 before diving into our main man. Carter deep dives into the career of USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner, who he refers to as the most relatable man at the World Cup. Our discussion highlights the position battle that went on, namely the downfall of Zach Steffen.
Timeline
Introductions (0:00)
Main man: Walker Zimmerman (2:15)
Connor’s pro soccer dreams (7:00)
Zimmerman’s USMNT rise (10:50)
Connor’s favorite soccer cultures (14:00)
Zimmerman’s performance (16:30)
American soccer update (19:45)
Rapid Fire British Vocab (27:00)
The big thing: The Implications of a Qatar World Cup (32:00)
Christian Lee and Lodge Dils are joined by casual fan Connor Wilson, the man aspiring to be MLS’s first player-owner. The boys talk about the career of Walker Zimmerman, divulge into Connor’s favorite soccer cultures, and why a strong performance for Zimmerman would be big for the perception of MLS. The show dips into an update on American soccer before Connor gets grilled on British sayings. Finally, we need to talk about Qatar, and the implications its timing has on the players. Namely, we debate what is preferable: the rust of MLS guys or the fatigue of the European based players.
