Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast
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Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast
Pitch Talk: Lessons from the 2026 World Cup and Some of Sport’s Sharpest Minds | Ep. 139
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Regional League Playoff Headlines
SPEAKER_02Welcome to Around the League on Breaking the Line, the ECL podcast, a bi-weekly look at all things ECL. The first two ECL Region League playoff events have been completed. And congratulations to LAFC Tokal for claiming the West U1819 Boys Championship and to Claimers FC for claiming the West U1819 Girls Championship. And the South, FC Wichita won the U1819 Girls Championship, while Dallas Texans earned the U1819 Boys Championship. Still to play are the East NL Region League Playoffs, Southeast Central, and East South Central. Also taking place at the East NL Region League Playoff Central will be the East NL Girls U1819 Championship. Eight teams have advanced through the opening round of 16 and will compete in St. Louis for the East NL Girls U1819 National Championship. Those teams are MVLA, VBA, Slamers FT, Ohio Premier, Michigan Hawks, FC Dallas, Penn Fusion, and FC Prime. Looking ahead to the rest of the East N Girls and East NL Boys playoffs, eight clubs have qualified five out of the hospital six teams for the East NL Girls playoffs, an additional five clubs have qualified four. On the boys side, eight clubs have qualified for all six age groups, ten clubs qualified five teams, and 15 clubs qualified four. Of all of those clubs, only two qualified five or more teams in both East NL Boys and East NL Girls. Crossfire Academy and Charlotte SA. The pre-East NL would also like to recognize the top performers for the Pre-East NL Champions Cup. On the boys side, El Camino SD Salinas, Crystal Lake Forest, Florida Premier, Roadrunners SD, and Central Washington Sound. And for the girls, Match Fit Stirf, St. Louis Scott Gallagher Navy, Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals, and Crossfire Premier. On an individual level, two Chicago City Regional League Boys players have seen success internationally. Joaquin Vega earned a trial for the U-16 Mexican national team, while Dante Farchelle had a successful trial with La Liga's side Rayo Valcano, where he will now captain their 2011 Academy team. This has been Around the League. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you next episode.
Glenn Crooks Career And Broadcasting
SPEAKER_06And here I am looking at the very dapper, Mr. Bracken, in uh I'm on the whole ECML today. All branded. As good as you look right now, I am going to be tested in my ability to stay focused here because over my shoulder over here, I do have the Belgium Egypt game on, which at times is going to be more compelling than you, Doug, but that you know that's because it's once every four years, not because of anything personal.
SPEAKER_04I do think it's one of the more compelling games in the first round, actually. So I I I will not take it as any any level of offense if you uh occasionally glance over to the game or there's some noise that comes out of you over some celebration, but uh keep me updated because I actually in my office I do not have a TV, uh, so I don't I can't see it.
SPEAKER_06See, that's that needs to be rectified. And also joining us today is uh Mr. Glenn Crooks, who I think is this is the first time you've been on our podcast, Glenn. Am I right in saying that? At least first in a long time.
SPEAKER_05That is true. Uh two books, but the first time. And I really do appreciate you having me in to talk uh talk a little footy. It'll be fun.
SPEAKER_06So for those who don't know, uh Mr. Crooks uh was a longtime coach at Rutgers University uh for the women. And uh more recently for the last, I don't know, Glenn seems like five or more years here. Maybe you have the exact number, but have been a host of the coaching academy on Sirius XM on uh XMFC, and the I think the announcer, play uh play-by-play or color announcer for New York City FC in MLS. Have I got that right?
SPEAKER_05Yes, and uh the show, the Sirius XMFC show is in its 12th year. 12 years, all right. 12th year and 1,300 interviews. So there you go. And you and you've been one of them. I don't think I've had Bracken on, so I apologize, Doug.
SPEAKER_04You got the better of the two of us, probably.
SPEAKER_06But the interview wasn't wasn't probably good enough because I'm not sure it got into either uh of your books.
SPEAKER_05No, it is it's in book two. When you and Jason Cutney came on together once, uh, that is in the book. It's in the uh in the section where I have uh Academy. I I call it Building the Player is the name of the chapter. And uh you're there.
SPEAKER_06Well, that's uh well that's awesome. I feel better already today. Um, so that that's the second part of your well, maybe we'll call that the third iteration. So if if career one was coaching, career two was broadcasting, career three apparently now is uh is author.
SPEAKER_05It's true, but they all intermingle. When I was first broadcasting out of college, I started the girls' soccer program at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, where I stayed for 10 years while I was broadcasting, and then went into coaching full-time on the collegiate level and did that for however many years, like over 20 years, and then and then got out of that and uh got into the back into the radio where I was at the beginning. And uh and I've coached at PDA Club uh up until uh a couple of years ago. So even though I retired at Ruckers, I kept I kept coaching on the club uh side. But uh last two or three years I've uh I have not had a team, but I had a team every year, whether it was club, high school, collegiate, regional, whatever it was, from uh 1981 to 2023. So I'm just uh I'm just hanging back now and uh doing the broadcast thing and the author.
SPEAKER_06I I call that now coaching as much as you want, not as much as you need, which is a it's a good spot to be. Yeah, yeah. Um the uh the other thing that I think is is relevant here is you're doing you you're doing some World Cup coverage, I believe, whether it's for some uh affiliates in New York, and I think you did some work in the 2022 or some coverage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Qatar Memories And World Cup Media
SPEAKER_06Uh, you want to give us a little background on that?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, uh I I went to Qatar. Uh it was uh kind of a two-fold thing with the United Soccer coaches and uh and did a lot of things for them, but also for Sirius XMFC for the New York Post and NewJersey.com, which used to be the Star Ledger. That's kind of the local New Jersey state newspaper, and now everything's online. And yeah, so I was there for the group stage only. And um the ironic, I guess it's tragic irony, uh, and it's someone I knew quite well. We had done some shows together at Sirius, colleagues. Uh he wasn't my best friend, but we were we were friendly and colleagues. Grant Wall, I sat next to Grant Wall for every one of those uh U.S. matches in the group stage, and you know, we had a we had a lot to say to each other regarding the matches and uh and then his tragic passing after I had come home. I I came home after the group stage and you know went to the uh local viewing parties or pubs to watch the rest of the tournament. So I covered it at the group stage. And yeah, now I'm there's a Fox Five affiliate, I'm doing some work for them, and then Sirius XMFC covering for them as well. So uh just the MetLife games, which is right down the road. Although it's not easy to get in uh or out, uh worse, try to get out, but that's uh that's all uh another story. Is that is that a MetLife issue or a FIFA issue? Well well, I you know, no one seems to be taking responsibility, but it's kind of a New Jersey transit possible issue as well.
SPEAKER_06I did hear about that, yes.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so uh it while originally it was a 150 bucks round trip to get from New York Penn to MetLife and back. They start they they put a special uh thing, uh there's a caucus in the middle of it. It's too complicated or too long to talk about, but they went from 150 bucks to 98 bucks. So it's now $98 round trip to uh get you in and out of MetLife. That sounds like wedding pricing.
SPEAKER_04And you're yeah, you're so you've been you've taken it, you've done the $98 trip.
SPEAKER_05Is that no, no, no? Fortunately, fortunately, I have a media badge where you can avoid that, but it's it's still a little bit uh uh I've been in on a non-game day, which was very easy and did some live hits, you know, outside the stadium. But uh it it's look, it's part of the deal, and uh the atmosphere inside the stadium for Brazil-Morocco is a 10 out of 10, and I guess in some ways that's what really counts.
The Power Of A Home Crowd
SPEAKER_06Well, I went to the uh US opener on Friday at uh Los Angeles Stadium, and yes, it was also a nightmare to get in. I think it was about an hour and 20 minutes in the line to get in. Yeah, but once inside, it was an unbelievable atmosphere. I said to Doug, probably the most pro-American crowd that I've ever seen for an American national team, especially in Los Angeles.
SPEAKER_05Well, it's it's really uh it's been interesting the last three games, the two warm-up games prior to that one, understanding and and I've covered it pretty closely, and I was in Atlanta when they played those friendlies in March and listening to Pochettino, and uh you could tell he had been very disappointed. I think it probably took him about, you know, they might he might have been forewarned, but I think it uh it took him a little bit by surprise how uh when they had opponents along the way in these friendlies that a lot of the games, you know, most of the supporters were from the other side. And I don't think he really understood. He couldn't, he just couldn't wrap his head around that. And he was obvious, he was constantly pleading the Americans to get out to the games. Well, it's Charlotte and and then Chicago, and now the one you were at uh in LA, uh you you could hear from the players and you didn't have to ask them, hey, what did you think of the crowd? They they told you before you could even ask.
SPEAKER_06I mean, I have a video of the of the national anthem, and you can hear the crowd louder almost than the music itself. I mean, it's beyond the visual display, which was amazing, and and my kids were in awe the whole time and face paint and everything, but the crowd was singing the entire national anthem. And and again, to your point, you you expect going to those games over a history that it'd be a 50-50 fan base at best. And my guess was that was 90-10 or something.
SPEAKER_05Well, what's interesting, the opponent Paraguay, I was at the friendly in November, it was at uh Subaru Park down the road in Chester, Pennsylvania, and maybe it wasn't 50-50, but 60-40 U.S. Paraguay at that game. You know, I mean, when Paraguay uh had um uh scored, I mean, it was it was a roar. So you couldn't and that's part of what they had been dealing with. So I and man, I don't think you can calculate. It's it's immeasurable, I would think, what that can do to lift a player or lift a team. I mean, it's it's pretty vital. If you're on home soil, man, I mean, it's nerve-wracking enough because you're uh you know you're carrying all that expectation.
SPEAKER_06But man, if you have if you have those uh behind you, Fan D I tell you, after Paraguay scored, I think to make it 3-1 to that point, the crowd started a really, really loud USA chant. Great. And the you know, the only comparison I had to that of something where a crowd stepped in and said, you know what, let's get let's try and impact the emotion of the game was uh I was at the the Michigan-Alabama Rose Bowl, which Doug has heard uh a few times, where where when the tide turned on that game towards Alabama at some point, and the crowd started a big let's go blue. And it was one of those moments where the you could really see the impact of a crowd onto an environment.
SPEAKER_05No play on words intended there, the tide turned. Uh very nice, Christian. Very nice.
Mobility Pressing And Possession Versus Paraguay
SPEAKER_04I guess I would ask both of you as if we pivot to the soccer that happened on the field, what were your impressions? Obviously, uh Colin and I probably watched it from you know on TV. Um so we saw that vantage point. You were uh you were there. What what what say you about the uh US uh about their performance?
SPEAKER_06I mean several of the people I've talked to, and I would I think I would agree with this, would put that down as one of if not the most dominating or best performance in a in a tournament that the US men's national team has ever put together. Um I can tell you what stood out to me was number one, the the rotations in the wide spaces between the the the backs and the the wingers or the outside midfielders, and how mobile that was and how difficult it was for Paraguay to deal with that. The willingness of the wingers and the tens to run in behind and threaten behind the Paraguay defense was constant. Um, and then the tenacity at which they counterpressed to get the ball back. Um, I think I was looking um just now on on the uh the if you haven't seen it, the FIFA Training Center online. Yeah, I get I get that is pretty cool.
SPEAKER_05That's everyone should uh tune into FIFA training center. That's a good one.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, a ton of stats in there, and I think they had the uh one of the stats in there that I thought was really interesting was you know the the time to get possession back, and I'm trying to scroll through. It's a 50-page document for every single game, and it's all publicly available. Um, it's really good. But uh the time that it took for them to get a ball recovery time for the US it was 11.2 seconds, and for Paraguay, 17.3. And so if you talk about how much faster they got the ball back because of the quality of pressure, I thought it was uh, you know, the uh the I guess if I had to sum it up, the mobility energy team.
SPEAKER_05Mobility was exactly the word I was gonna bring up next because you know, I I'm I'm watching the game like Doug on TV. So being at the game where you can see the whole scope uh is is uh is wonderful from a coaching standpoint, but you could still see the spacing and how much Paraguay ended up chasing the game. And I'm thinking to myself, all right, let me be the Paraguay coach and how do you solve this? And the only way you solve a team that's incredibly mobile like that is just to be very compact and organized defensively. And it's almost it's you know, yeah, it's zonal marking. If you don't do zonal marking in those situations, in my opinion, then you're gonna just end up chasing the game. Uh I I think there was uh fatigue was a factor at times, especially um uh you know at certain points of uh of the the end of the first half. And I'm um I you know I sometimes it's just too easy to to say it this way, but why aren't we always that mobile? Because the exchanging of positions between like uh uh Polistic and and McKenney and Balogun and Polistic and those channels that you were talking about, the attacking midfielders running, sometimes it was the uh the wing backs or the wings running into those spaces, they were created by moving off the ball. So it's very interesting when sometimes you watch uh a U.S. game or any game and it's stagnant. And today, I'd be I'm not sure when this is airing, but Spain was uh fairly stagnant, I thought, in trying to attack against Curaçao. Listen, it's a Cabo Verde.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, it's it's hard to be, you know, you're we're just providing our our per our opinion and criticism. Like when you're when you're criticizing a team like Spain, you know, you always have to take a step back and acknowledge the quality of the players. Oh, absolutely. Glenn I would agree with you so much. I would actually contrast, uh I was having this discussion, this banter in my house because my wife is a big Spain fan. Um, the I it was so deliberate and so slow in clear critical moments, and then I compare that actually the two teams beyond the US, which I thought was phenomenal, that I thought were exceptional to watch, were Germany and the way that they moved the ball and the speed at which they moved the ball. And you can dismiss the opponent level, although they were like they worked so hard to defend. Um, I would be hard to say that opponent opponent comparison is much different than Cabo Verde. And then the other one was Ivory Coast. I thought the way they played, especially in the second half and the speed of all movement and the mobility was phenomenal. Doug, I mean, what do you I what do you say about those games?
Comparing Styles Germany Spain Ivory Coast
SPEAKER_06Did you see them?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, great. I do want to go back and just touch on the US because uh to Glenn's point, we're talking about the mobility. I think I was at the Portugal game in Atlanta. I did go to that game, and so the warm-up.
SPEAKER_05That was the last that was the last one before these last two.
SPEAKER_04Those two games, even though we lost and there were some, you know, uh rightly so the pictures were there. Yeah. Yes, you started to see that was when I first started to feel like, and it, you know, if you watch Facetino's teams play, I would say, especially Tottenham when they were at their their best with him, mobility was a big part of what they did. So you could start to see his kind of imprint coming into the team. I thought you also saw it against Senegal and and uh and Germany. Like against Senegal, we could have scored more than three goals easily. We had lots of chances that we created, so you could start to see that, and then for it all kind of to come together in that World Cup opener uh was really cool. Um but yeah, I it Spain to me looked like they just didn't they didn't have a lot of solutions, like and um and I think you take Lamin, Yamol, and this is not to discredit the Spain players because obviously they're amazing, but you take Lamin and Lam Yamal out of it and and Nico Williams out of it at the beginning, those are the players that I think kind of unlock things sometimes for Spain. And and and maybe the players almost to a fault dog, right?
SPEAKER_06Because they the game changed when they came in.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, maybe the players that were on were too similar, they're not really you know, obviously their movement and their passing and their possession is always, you know, but I it feels like they just are missing that player.
SPEAKER_06Well, if you if you remember it was is they won in 2010, and was it 2014 they went out in the group stage in Spain?
SPEAKER_04They did, yeah.
SPEAKER_06Okay, and and uh Germany as well, I believe. Both went out in the group stage, if I remember correctly.
SPEAKER_04Uh 2014 is when Germany uh Germany beat Brazil seven.
SPEAKER_06Sorry, so it was a seven-one. So maybe it was 2018, whatever it may be. But I remember watching, maybe it was 2018. Um and whenever Spain went out in the group, and it was similar, it was so deliberate, in slow, indirect, whatever you want to call it. And the the quality to me, this the soccer I like to watch is its attack, it's go, and it's play at a high speed. And and that's why I was so impressed with the U.S. I mean, the U.S., by the way, and I'm looking at this uh this training center number, uh attempted 602 passes in the game against Paraguay, um, compared to 316 um from Paraguay. That's not a number I don't think you typically associate with an American team. But to your point, Glenn, in order to have that amount of mobility, you have to dominate possession of the ball.
SPEAKER_07Right.
SPEAKER_06Because you cannot have that many people moving in that many different places without one, uh an uh an advantage in possession. And two, tied to that, and most people don't think to think about this, is if you're gonna if you're gonna play like that, you gotta press hard when you lose the ball back because you are in a big space typically. You are with numbers committed forward, and if you don't press immediately, you're you're uh at risk on the break and in transition a lot. Um, but when you when you can put those things together, and it's usually the best teams that can do it that that way, it's it's pretty fun to watch.
SPEAKER_05And when your central defender, so Chris Richards hadn't played in a while, so I thought this was a telling statistic, and we recognize some of these passes were uh 12 to 15 yard square balls to uh a back on either side of them. But Chris Richards had uh 84 of those 600 plus passes were his, and he completed every one of them. Now, I mean, when that's happening, and you realize some of those are into the midfield, some of those are into a deeper target, and uh, you know, that sort of accuracy too from uh your your central defender in what is a back three when you're attacking uh is phenomenal.
SPEAKER_06Well, and I I on that note, I I thought I thought Reem was really intelligent. His movement, his understanding of what's around him was really, really good. And everywhere you needed him, Chris Richards was there. Intercepting, sliding. I mean, I thought he I thought those two were. I mean, by the way, talk about your sort of stereotypical center back pair of the the older, experienced, not as agile guy, right? Uh and next to him, you have a really athletic, really uh really uh tough tackler. And that's not to take anything away from the other parts of his game, but I thought it was a really good pairing and how they played. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I tell you, you said uh something about. the uh Ivory Coast and Ecuador game, I you know, obviously Ivory Coast kind of hung in there and kind of first half they were out they were outplayed. And finally 2-0 first half probably and just kind of held on and and you know came more into the game. I thought the 19 year old guy Diamante on the on the wing for Ivory Coast was really he was he was un unplayable in the way he was going at people.
SPEAKER_06I couldn't believe it.
SPEAKER_04I would tell you this in the if we make it to the knockout stage if you ask me which team I'd rather play in those two I'd rather play uh Ivory Coast. Yeah you're right I mean Ecuador the way they press you is they ran out of gas in the second half. They did because they didn't score. Like if they finish one of those it's it's I think it's a different game.
SPEAKER_05That's what's incredible about our game. I mean but and it's true when when you miss out on opportunities to score in in a in a game of that level uh and I and I see it in you know I cover MLS. I see a lot of MLS games I'm there in person for a lot of these games and I'm telling and for the New York City football club where I'm the lead commentator I mean where I see it is so often they'll miss those opportunities and how it impacts the second half whether it's the tension whether it's the fatigue that's mental fatigue too it's like my God if you're up one two or three nil or three one or whatever I mean you can you you can always play more relaxed.
SPEAKER_06Yeah no that's that's that's a really good point you talk about when you you expend that amount of energy and you talk about mobility again it takes a lot of energy to be that mobile and it's sort of the uh the the the counter to that is people talking about in order to win you got to be able to suffer right Paraguay was suffering. And if you can get out of that without conceding like Ivory Coast did you've absorbed a lot of energy and and by the way talk about emotional moments for the U.S. to score the third on literally the last kick of the first half is a gut punch. And then uh Reyna's goal with literally the last kick of the second half I mean that sends you back to the bus with another gut punch that it's going to be interesting to see uh what Paraguay does next. I mean
The Australia Test And Fine Margins
SPEAKER_06I I only saw the uh the first half or the first 25 minutes I think of the uh Australia Turkey A I guess that's how you say it now yeah turkey game uh so I I I didn't see enough of that game to comment except to say that Australia looked pretty uh feisty in the Turkey A was better Turkey from a soccer perspective to me was better and the glam probably not good to say that by the captain in the build up to the pregame huh?
SPEAKER_05Yeah the the captain or the uh even American pundits were uh Mike Grella and Alexi Lollis uh they said some things that were probably up on the bowling board and you know even so even the uh former uh the former players can uh yeah can put yeah get get up lined up your opponent yes i and but i i'm like I watched and I'm like Australia was very feisty the game on Friday will be completely different and I'd be interested to hear what you guys' perspective is uh well you talked about the unlock so Lamin Yamal comes on the thing I want to say about uh Lamin was I thought he could have I could I think I thought he could have gotten a ball and gone a lot more at at that defender early on you know they were bringing a second and sometimes third defender over but not at the moment of his reception touch and I was almost surprised he didn't go at it even more today uh in the uh uh Cabo Verde match so that that's one thing but you talk about him unlocking so I um I did a podcast I do one with uh my broadcast partner Matty Lawrence who played over 600 games in England former Millwall captain this dude is sharp and and we talked about Gio Reyna and how his impact in this Australia match he may get more of a chance to contribute. I I don't think you'd deviate from the starting 11. I mean those guys just it went so well I don't I don't know how you would make a change there. But Reyna is that kind of unlocking type of player and I think Australia is going to be very very difficult to break down. I thought they were X I thought the U.S. and Australia and I've said this publicly I thought they both played near perfect soccer matches per their plan. You know the the U.S. concedes a goal on the only shot that Paraguay had okay and no chance Matt Freeze could save it. And Australia that game went exactly to plan. I mean they started a 22 year old goalkeeper who made his third cap. I mean Popovich the coach took a big step there.
SPEAKER_04So uh I think it's a very interesting match on Friday and I think we will find out I mean you'll ultimately find out somewhere along the line but I think it's Friday we obviously played very free flowing in the first game and things went our way and deservedly so we you know the way we played can we grind one out can can we grind one out because it feels like Australia is going to make us grind it out.
SPEAKER_06Yeah well to your to your point I mean the margins are so fine you you you could play the Spain Cabo Verde game ten times and my I still would say Spain's gonna win that game nine out of ten times you know uh but the margins if you know they hit the post to you same thing in the Ecuador game they hit the post twice right in the first half yeah um three times total for the game yeah they they hit the bar three times yeah so uh all it takes and and by the way Cabo Verde was one headball away from stealing three points in that game in the 80 whatever minute you know so to your point you know I you find out about a team keep everybody calm in your house Christian because the fact is Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in the first game the 2022 World Cup and they were World Cup champions so uh space you got you got to be able to grind out a win you got to get some luck in the way but you couldn't have asked for a better start than the U.S. had in terms of how the game went to your point Glenn and the emotional excitement for the country. I think that makes the whole country more interested in soccer and every other game when the American team starts like that.
SPEAKER_05How about the uh the old guard I'll point to Eric Woodnalda and you talked about uh some of the reaction about that game so he he said the first you know to him uh former National League striker uh you uh national team striker uh he said that the first half was the best half of soccer that the U.S. men's national team has ever played I mean you know so those I these are the kinds of things you're hearing and that you know and that's part of the old guard that every now and then they were they'd get a dig in because they didn't like what was going on.
SPEAKER_06And well have you have you seen speaking of that um have you seen the documentary Summer of 94 that's been floating around Netflix.
SPEAKER_05You know I've seen so many I I just I just finished up Us Against the World and because I interviewed the director so I was anxious to see that and he got a hard time because he did not uh elaborate on the Raina Burhalter chaos from 22 because that documentary if you watch it along the way at some point you ask yourself and that's why I brought it up in the interview it's just like wow yeah you know there was Gio Reyna and that was a massive story but he the way he explained it was that uh he would need almost two episodes to give it a a proper uh a proper item with the with the reaction and trust from one side the reina's reaction and trust from the Burrhalters in order to bring it all together. But um and anyway I I I think I have seen uh the summer of 94.
SPEAKER_06Is that where so that's where uh uh Militinovich is is uh interviewed right he's sitting there being interviewed yet and they tell the story of that and to look at where this country was and and is today at everything in the sport is is amazing to to just compare um those and for those told me a great Militinovich uh story and it was not in there uh part of it was but the one was about Winalda scored a goal it wasn't in the World Cup but it was uh in a friendly leading up to it it was in an international match Bora was the coach he scores the goal and Bora yanks him and Winalda's like what's going on and Bora told him you should have used the other foot to score the goal how about that um how about all those guys living together they basically right they had a training camp where they just lived together video of those guys living in an old apartment and it's basically like the Hunger Games right because some of them aren't aren't making it correct it's like it's like you know it's like the movie Miracle where the guys are all traveling around the world and occasionally somebody gets cut.
SPEAKER_05Well supposedly uh the this is uh and this came from Leander Sharlakan's uh book which I highly recommend it's it it's kind of the history uh of the US men you know it dates back to 1930 tells some stories there but it has a lot on 94 in particular and he because there all this discussion about Pochettino not calling the guys you know that didn't make it you know like a like a Luna and and he said well Bora didn't tell anybody that they made it that they were taking a bus ride over to what they thought was a probably a promotional event and they started counting the guys in the bus and looking around all the Europeans were there and they made the final count of 23 and they all said well I guess we made it so it's kind of the flip side of it but uh you know every coach has their own way.
Cutting Players And Managing Disappointment
SPEAKER_05How about you guys so let me ask you this so you're right you're cutting a player from an ODP team or or from your own club team um or from your national team if you're the national team coach how do you handle it I will love to answer this I'm sure I will go first um I think transparency and honesty is the only way and you understand and and usually the thing I say in these situations Glenn is I understand that you might not agree with this but I'm the one that has to make the decision and so I'm making it and here is why I think anything else and and it's probably not a very long conversation either because they don't really want to hear it probably at any level right so so I think just honesty and transparency is the way to go because I always wanted to I'm not sure I handled every single one of these situations perfectly as as we would all probably say but I kind of just as I got older and more experienced as a coach I wanted to walk away from those situations feeling good about the way I handled it.
SPEAKER_04And that to me was the only you know that that was kind of the way I I try to approach it. So I don't know about you labors I cut labors one time we had a little training uh thing going on uh and I had to tap U Laivers out. So he knows how to do it.
SPEAKER_06I don't remember that conversation so it must have been fine. And you know what I think less is more in that you know it's like when when you're doing the most the most probably relatable example to that to to our audience is when youth coaches are are making these decisions around tryouts and there's no amount of logic and outlined points that are gonna soften the blow. So I think it's it's with professionalism it's with kindness but it's brief because nobody wants to hear the here are the seven reasons why you know that just invites an argument. And to be honest that the way you handle that because we've all probably been in that spot as well on the other side where you're the one being cut and you know the the what in that situation you kind of just want to move on I think you know you don't you don't you're not gonna get in an argument about it and it's like arguing with the referee it's not changing the result anyway.
SPEAKER_05You just want to move on and you got to handle it with the same type of professionalism and kindness and say okay there was a time in my coaching life where I coached uh I was coaching Rutgers I was coaching PDA Club and I was coaching ODP in an age group uh that was the same as my PDA team and there was a um there was a bit of an uproar about it but the fact is is that I cut players from my club team from the ODP side. I'm sure that went really well I but I you know I I think I handled it okay because I I don't recall anyone rebelling to the point where they they caused an uproar on the team and we I kept coaching them and you know it's not particularly comfortable. I put myself in that spot and the the people that run the state you know agreed to have me in that spot because we'd we'd done well over the years and you know so I uh I I did it. But um you know those are the times where communication is uh and I don't say I always have done it right I my worst communication uh experience was uh I always write the starting lineup on the board I don't always announce the lineup uh you know I I didn't have a a set time I would announce the lineup and sometimes it would be when the players walked in in the pregame of the game and the names were on the board. Well somebody had started like eight or nine games in a row and their name was not on the board. And I I lost that player for the rest of the game. Couldn't you know because I didn't I should have communicated to that player who had started eight or nine games in a row that you're not starting today and that you're gonna see that when you walk into the locker room. And I think that would have been the fair and correct way to do it. So you learn along the way, right?
SPEAKER_06How do you how do you how have you dealt with that Christian the the lineups because I always have a huge like the biggest the biggest games I've coached in that so like national championship or semifinal type games where you have the time and ability to do it. I like to get the starting lineup out the night before um so that everybody sees it everybody can get themselves the starters can get ready the players that are not starting know that they're not you know they're not gonna be moping around the next day or the you know right at the beginning of warm up. That's not always feasible in youth soccer right but I think in the moments where you can it just allows everybody to get their heads set and then and show up the next day. It's always as I was always told by my parents it's always better in the morning. You know so any any disappointment you're gonna get at the evening meeting you're gonna feel a little bit better about it when you wake up fresh the next day even if you're still not happy.
SPEAKER_04Yeah I I I a hundred percent agree with that. And I know coaches that'll say they do it right before the game or whatever. But I always did it if at a training before we had a game. So I I mean preferably I want to be up be there where I'm looking at the players so they can you know deal with whatever I have to deal with.
SPEAKER_05But now I have another way of looking at that too and especially on the professional level or especially international level you have so many much time in between games I think 48 hours before and the reason I say that let's so let so let's say at 9 p.m uh Christian you have that meeting with the the player or the family however you do it and and and say uh you know it's not gonna it's not you're not gonna be in the 11 tomorrow here's why and here's how I plan to use you however you put it that player may not sleep that night because they're you know they're so distressed from that decision. So I say and that could happen to an adult that could happen to a 28 year old professional so I say 48 hours before let them lose their sleep two nights before and then by the time the next night comes they're that they're more accepting you've had a training session everybody knows there's no mystery everybody
Lineups Feedback And Emotional Intelligence
SPEAKER_05knows.
SPEAKER_06So I think there's an a a number of sides to this yeah well you know what I'll bring it down I'll bring it down to under nine soccer which is where I am right now so and I I can tell you that going into a tournament weekend I try to because the same type of emotions are at play kids want to start they want to play and so I try and tell them hey ever everybody's gonna start one game and we're gonna change the who starts from the first half to the second half. So I try and take that emotion of like I I'm in I'm out whatever it may be because it is real with competitive kids they all want to be on the field and make it to them that hey that doesn't really matter whether I start this game or the next game. I'm just ready to go. And again we can have tons of arguments on this type of stuff but it the the human part of the player is is uh it never it never gets simpler no matter what age you're looking at.
SPEAKER_05Not no and it's uh and I think that's probably I bet that's where we've all developed as coaches over the years where we've gotten better is the emotional intelligence because that that's where you get the uh uh and Hugh Jennings is one of uh uh my conversations in this I put it on frame two the second book in the same section that you're in Christian uh regarding the youth side he's the uh academy director for Fulham and uh but he makes a point in there on the emotional intelligence side that not only does it help uh the player that you're getting more out of the player but then uh the player's getting more out of you because you're un because you know that you've you've uh investigated it further you've gotten to know the situation better and you feel better about it as a coach. So now you're you're open to maybe making uh better decisions just because you you don't have that restriction of maybe not communicating the message or maybe how the week went in training and not understanding where that person was in their in their daily life whatever it might be.
SPEAKER_06Well Perry Boley said this once to me which uh and I I forget who he was referencing but that one of the things they did in in early on in the season in the academy was ask the parents how would you like bad news to be delivered at the end of the year? If it happens, do you want a phone call? Do you just want an email? Do you want a meeting? So that when that moment happens they they've already given people the ability to tell them hey if it's if this is going to go this way this is how it'd be better for us to handle it which I think actually is a pretty powerful and interesting thing to think about of of how you prep people and how you meet them where they are.
SPEAKER_04Preemptive a leadership thing Christian where even in easy even in the work world or the work environment when you are in a position where you have to give people feedback I think that's a great way to do it is to say how do you like feedback or to your players how do you want feedback because I think that that helps you to your point meet meet them where they are I think it goes goes with any level.
SPEAKER_05And even in the course of training the feedback you give in training some people the some players you could be more harsh with or more direct with and and others might be affected adversely by that whether you know you're just being yourself but understanding that I think uh it can really go a long way but it's that preemptive thing. So another thing I learned along the way is that you because you're experienced you know that this, this, this, this, and this is going to happen during the season it because it does every year 100% of the time and it's the kinds of things that might be negative to the team. So what you do is preemptively in your preseason or with your parents whatever meeting you're in you go over those five things and say that exact thing these five things will happen during the season. How do you want to respond? And then you make it an open forum number one how should we deal with this number two and then if if it goes the wrong way at any point during the year you just you you draw yourself back to that meeting remember number three and remember what you said about number three. I know it's tough because competition brings out the worst in us sometimes but let's just remember that and and then we'll go back to that. So that preemptive philosophy I I think is really important. And one
Preemptive Leadership With Parents
SPEAKER_05other thing I did with parents along the way I didn't do this till the end because it happened by accident. I was on the road with my PDA team and I had all those uh sticky posters up in the hotel uh lunchroom that we had in you know and had all the different uh set piece designs and a couple of attacking things and defending things and the parents were also eating in there too so I saw two of the moms up on one of the posters at you know with the I don't know it was a corner kick defending I'm not sure what it was but they're looking at it and I walk up to them and I go so what do you think you do you understand that? And they go not they go well not really uh could you explain it so I explained it to them and then after I did I I looked at them and I said do you think all the parents would be appreciative if they could hear what some of these things are and they were like oh man that would be great. I the first time I did it I almost had got hugs from the parents because they felt like they understood a little bit more about what was going on. And you know what happened also less noise on the sideline. Oh this is beautiful. So uh yeah I I wish I had done that from the time I was 22 in coaching but you know back then when I was young it was like keep the parents out of here man get them out but we talk about that all the time on this podcast.
SPEAKER_04If you think they're not part of the process you're delusional.
SPEAKER_06They're definitely if you if you don't give them things to think about. And ask them to think about things in a certain way. It's a lot harder to then complain about where they come up with their own thoughts that are contrary to whatever you would like.
SPEAKER_04I do guarantee you though, there was someone in that crowd, Glenn, who uh said, Well, I think we should be doing it this way.
SPEAKER_05Well, did you ever think of this? No, well, I got questions like why are you doing it this way? Which I probably was exactly what you're is the exactly what they were thinking when they asked why.
SPEAKER_06But uh so Glenn, you you've written, and by the way, um just turning my head seeing that Egypt is up right now, which that's gonna be speaking of some emotional conversations at halftime or unemotional, maybe. But
Teaching Parents Tactics Reduces Sideline Noise
SPEAKER_06um what uh your your books put it on frame, uh Glenn, that have I think been compiled from your just your experiences and all these career phases and the discussions with the people you've met. Tell us a little bit about the books and and uh that you've written and that are out now, I think. They're both out.
SPEAKER_05They're both out, and they're um it's really I almost think of it. Look, I didn't want to write a book or two, and I've got a third coming out too, which is going to be a little bit more leaning towards the women's side because this second book has a special World Cup chapter interviewing people that have either played or coached in the game. Uh and then uh the Women's World Cup uh next summer, so I'll have a special chapter on that. And I have some incredible interviews with the 1991 team uh with stories in there that have never been heard before. So that'll be coming out probably in January. But what it is is when I say selfish, it's like I was driving around with my wife one day and and I was saying, I was just lamenting that all these serious XMFC interviews I've done, they just they go into the abyss. And so many people who and I've gotten a lot of compliments on the interviews, and people have learned things, and that's great, but sometimes it's tough to stick because they're driving, you know, where they're driving somewhere. That's where a lot of people listen to the show, they're driving, and then it's available on the app, but they're driving and they hear something, it's like, oh now it's on paper, some of this. And now I was at the convention, and people are coming up and they're showing me where they uh you know use the yellow marker because I think there's nuggets in every conversation. It's just like there's nuggets in this conversation.
SPEAKER_06If this conversation went in the book, sometimes you learn what not to do by talking to Doug, for example.
SPEAKER_05Well, that yeah, for instance. Well, that could that could possibly be what happens in some of these conversations.
SPEAKER_04Go on, but we've already determined that I only talk 10% of the podcast anyway. Christian speaks 90, I speak 10.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I'm I'm I'm uh I'm not surprised, but I'm intrigued by the fact that you agreed to do a podcast with Christian.
SPEAKER_04Uh, you know, and somebody we it was a there was a a draw that happened, he didn't know about it.
SPEAKER_05Short straw for that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I got it, I got it. And I'm like, all right, I'll take it, take one for the team.
SPEAKER_05But but I said earlier I I've done over 1,300 interviews, which is ridiculous. But uh imagine, and it's just a wealth of information that I've received. And I I try to make up conversations just like we're having now, and where people will open up. Some people I've had relationships with, others I didn't know. And I think I've gotten uh pretty good at this interviewing because it is an art form. I mean, uh you guys have heard a lot of different interviews and shows, whether it's TV, radio, podcasts, and um it it's uh it's it's a challenge, and you have to be a good listener, which I think over the years I have been. And so I've I've I've elicited so much, you know, so the expertise is from these people in these books, not from me necessarily. I write some things around the interviews, you know, my thoughts and that kind of thing. But like Rennie Mullenstein, who sat next to Sir Alex. I mean, come on, you know. So I and I become friends with him.
SPEAKER_06By the way, correct me on this, Doug, but wasn't Renee Mullenstein who brought Mark Howard from Man United over to Bronby. Bronby.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06So our our last episode, we have an ECNL coach who played for Renee Mullenstein uh at Bronby in the Danish Super League.
SPEAKER_05Well, and now uh Ren Rene's assistant coach for Iraq, who uh have uh some difficult upcoming matches in the World Cup. They're in the group with France, Senegal, and Norway. So uh they've got a challenge ahead of them. But that he and Emma Hayes kicks off the first book. And you know, I'm I'm I don't know if you agree with me, but I think she's brilliant. And I think she's brought um some intangibles to the equation. Uh the comment you talking about.
SPEAKER_06She's certainly the right person for that team and the turnaround of that team in terms of the way they they uh the confidence. I mean, it it was almost a very strong uh look uh uh of confidence in the way they played almost immediately under her, I would say. Doug, you agree with that?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, 100%. She's clearly she's clearly a great leader.
SPEAKER_05Well, you talk about emotional intelligence and uh Mikey Varish is in that first book. He's at San Diego now, was an assistant U.S. men's coach. Uh yeah, I there's a specialist chapter with the, you know, you may have heard of Thomas Gronmark. He's the throw-in coach. So he talks about throw-ins and all the different uh clubs that he's worked with there and how you know statistically they've improved in in actually creating goal scoring opportunities off of throw-ins, not just long throw-ins either, but using basketball picks, you know, to to set yourself up on throw-ins.
SPEAKER_06I say throw-in is Latin for turnover in most most youths.
SPEAKER_05Well, this is we address that. We address that, and it's pretty interesting how you can uh increase your your percentage. Yeah, I that's one of the most I'd say if there's a pet peeve I there's a couple, but one of them has been the loss of possession on throw-ins over the years that I've observed at every level. It's incredible.
SPEAKER_06Well, it's never it's hardly ever trained. If you if you put 10 youth coaches in a room and say how many has done a training session at any point, you can incorporate it in your warm-up pretty easily as well, just so you have some.
SPEAKER_04You can do it a lot of ways, uh but most people do. I actually talked to a college coach many, many years ago who said they just throw it to the other team. So at least they know what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_06Just get it over.
SPEAKER_04So at least so they know what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_05Well, since it looks like that anyway, you know, then you might as well, right?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, it's uh that's the famous uh was it PSG semifinal where they just were where at least the social media trend was they're gonna just serve it and then start the press higher.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_06I've got uh a little more sophisticated.
SPEAKER_04Glenn, you talk about all your interviews, 1300 of them. Who who was the toughest nut to crack?
SPEAKER_05Oh my goodness. Um I I'm trying to see if I can I well, I don't know if I have a good answer there. And I don't I'm not saying that there wasn't a tough nut to crack somewhere along the line. And it's probably some of my earlier interviews. So I'm not gonna give you a name, but what I'm gonna suggest to you is that interestingly, I've had some people on, a very small number, who um didn't have much to say, and you're constantly trying to pry more out of them. So the nut to crack, it's I think it's because some people have maybe they haven't been exposed to talking about what they are expert in, let's say. And um so uh I'm not looking at that as a trick question. I haven't been a I've been asked a lot of questions, but I haven't been asked that particular one. Uh I would have to say, uh, and none of the ones that you'll see in the books um were that way.
SPEAKER_06That'd be a short chapter, otherwise.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that's right. It'd be very short. I mean, there were every so to maybe to more accurately answer the question, Doug, is like most everybody out of those 1300 plus, um they were pretty easy to talk to and really open about sharing. And and that's what this is about. It's about sharing. I I've been denied a couple of times by coaches because they didn't, they didn't want to share, especially set piece coaches, they didn't want to share their tricks and their secrets. And that's disappointing to me because this whole thing is about sharing. I had a coach in England that uh wouldn't come on the air with me unless I paid him because you like talk sport over in England, that's that that radio network, they pay a lot of their guests. And I was helping him promote um uh something he was doing. And I I told him I just don't have that in my budget, and he refused to come on. So it was like, I don't, all right. I've I've got pl I've got a list of right now, I've got a list of probably 120 people to talk to, and I keep developing that list. So I'll never run out for as long as they let me do this show. And um I don't think I'm gonna write more than pardon?
SPEAKER_06If you do run out, you can always come back to us.
SPEAKER_05Right. I got Doug. I still got Doug on the list.
SPEAKER_04I am I'm way down, way down on the list. I'm only used to talking 10% of the time, so make sure it's a short segment. So my net my follow-up question to that is I it'd be hard, I'm sure, for you to say who who's the best, but you who are two, what are two or three that really stood out to you where you left that conversation and you're like, wow, that was cool.
SPEAKER_05Well, I'll have to I'll go with people I've already mentioned, Emma Hayes, Mikey Varish, Rennie Moldenstein. Uh and it's because of the levels that they've coached, but where they've come from, all of them, uh in particular Emma and Mikey. Uh and I uh and another guy that not many people know, Stevie Greave, he coaches in the top tier in Sweden. This is a guy you're gonna hear from at some point. And I was very intrigued with his interview because he's he's one of these guys who, when you watch the team play, the the central defender in a back three is uh in the opponent's six-yard box, heading one home at the near post in the run of play. And he wants his teams, and he's a highly successful coach. That's an interview from the first book. I highly recommend it because he goes through some things that he does, but in essence, he he asks his teams to play like they were kids, but he provides structure to it as well. You know, there's a rest offense, some people don't like calling it rest offense because if you're resting, that's not good. But he's got them organized. There's structure there. Zacco Neta, I really enjoyed talking to, the Brazilian who's uh the San Jose director, uh San Juan director, San Juan Club. He he grew up as uh in the Fluminense Academy, where their motto was creativity uh before structure, right?
Glenns Books And The Value Of Sharing
SPEAKER_05And I mean, what do you and somebody asked me recently, guys, like uh why why is the U.S. not one of the you know the serial winners of the World Cup? You know, the eight you have got eight winners in the World Cup, and but Spain and France and Argentina, uh Brazil, and I said I'm gonna get here's my example. What do you see at the Jersey Shore? What do you see at Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, recreationally, up and down the beach? What are they playing? Oh, they're playing volleyball. Well, guess what? When you go to Rio de Janeiro and you go to the beach, what are they playing? Soccer. You know, so it becomes really cultural. Uh and that's the best, you know, there's it's it's not a simple answer why we're not quite there, why we don't produce any of the top 200 players in the world right now, depending on how you rank players.
SPEAKER_06You could say Politic, maybe you could say that's a great, I mean, it's the old Peter Drucker quote, I think, that culture eats strategy for breakfast. And over and over and over, we and we've talked about that on this podcast. Yeah, there's a lot of good people, and there's a lot of good things going on in the game at every level here in this country. Yeah, but the one thing you cannot fast forward is the development of culture and how people spend their free time and what they do on the beach, to your point, or what they do when they flip on the television channel. That takes generational behavior change based on more and more presence and investment in the sport, which is happening. And and
Soccer Culture In The United States
SPEAKER_06it actually actually makes me want to want to ask you if you if you were to look into the crystal ball here six months and five years from now, what is the impact of this World Cup on culture in the US? What is the impact of this World Cup on the sport here for the youth?
SPEAKER_05For the youth, um I the impact I see is that um, and I think it's our job as coaches, it's our job as directors, uh, and on the women's side, I think it's it's even more of an important thing to uh get across is to watch more soccer, is to watch the game. And not only by watching the game, and I think what people are going to see is the passion of, and I'm so happy that uh the U.S. started out well, because I think some of that uh you know the passion is what we lack, you know, and I think passion is part of the culture. And if you take anybody that's from the States and you bring them into you know Ellen Roe to watch uh Bournemouth play uh um why am I uh play Manchester United? Pardon uh Leeds, excuse me. Leeds play Manchester United, this big rivalry match. And and they'll you know, you go like, what? Did you see what the Scottish supporters did at Fenway Park? They went to the Red Sox game and they made it into a soccer match. They're chanting and the whole, I mean, but that is the so I think that can be very impactful, Christian, on the youth. But we have to carry it along. So it's our our it's our job as uh coaches and directors to to keep instilling that because I think it's the passion of the game which will help reflect the culture, and it's it's gonna be organic. I mean that and that's you know, for and I think that's kind of what you were referring to. And the more the more kids that are playing soccer and they become parents and their kids play soccer and they're serious, and they take them to games and they sit down and watch uh a Premier League on Saturday mornings and the Bundesliga and every other league that has the where you could see what's going on. I mean, uh that I think that's the way.
SPEAKER_04Um otherwise would you say I'm I guess the question, because uh you we talk about the development of culture and all that, but you know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Is this the best version of US players that there's ever been? Meaning we have more playing at a high level. This is the best crop of players we've ever had from a depth perspective and a level perspective.
SPEAKER_05Yes or no? Uh I'm uh wavering on it only because yes, we have more players playing in the top five leagues or members of the squads of the top five leagues. The thing, uh in my second book, I've got a guy named Steve Mandis who wrote a book. Uh, and he did a lot of research, uh, and it was about after the US men were eliminated and did not participate in Russia 2018. And he broke it down and he compared it to nations like France, and he broke it down into minutes played in the Champions League. Minutes played, not being on the team and training with the team, minutes played in Champions League competition. And the disparity, and again, that's eight, that's many years ago now. That's what, eight years ago now, and now we have clubs actually getting paid uh the fees if there are transfers out of their clubs. You know, that became what 2019, now you can clubs can get paid, so there's more incentive to put more money into the clubs and and development. But the percentage of France, Spain, and and the countries, again, those serial winners versus the US players, it was so dramatic. All I would say is minutes played.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I agree with that. My I think my point was are we at because I think it's it's almost a disservice to try to compare us to France or Spain, who have very mature soccer cultures that are, you know, have been have been there, right? Well, my I guess my question was, is this the best place we've ever been in? If you don't comparing only two past US Well, so so Doug, on that, right?
SPEAKER_06So when we got to the quarters, there was only 32 teams in the World Cup, right? So if you got out of your group, you are s you you got one elimination game. So you know, on the one hand, there'll be an easy answer to that and how we're gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_04I think that's the best, that's the best performance we've had in a World Cup. No push.
SPEAKER_06Correct. So but that'll that's a factor, right? But to your point, I mean, if you look at, I'll go back to this documentary of uh of uh summer of '94. I you know, Winaldo was playing in Germany. Uh, I think was it Dooley? Uh Thomas Dooley. Thomas Dooley was playing in Germany, I believe. Maybe Caliguri was somewhere. Lawless. Was he in Italy at the time? Uh he wasn't in Italy. No, it was post. Okay. Uh I think uh gosh, there might have been uh Harks might have been post-World Cup. I'm not sure. But anyway, we're on one hand. Okay. Now you don't you don't need to know a lot about soccer. But if you watch the roster release of these clubs, if we look at Europe as sort of the the bar, which it generally is, you know, that there's always other clubs, but generally almost every one of our of our players on the roster is over there playing uh on a team, to your point, Glenn. In if it's not a top five league, it's a legit league. And and it's a place that we never would have had players going before, especially if you think about the probably historical condescension of an American player, right, in Europe, which for a long time it was like, hey, well, why would we sign an American? And I think that is changing now. So to your point, the result of the team adds you know fuel to the fire. But I think it'd be hard to argue that this isn't the deepest, you know, that there have been, you know, there have been, you know, uh Reina and and and Donovan and John O'Brien was yeah, guys who've done it, right? And done and done uh had dr had good careers, right? But they were very much alone, or there was a small group of them. Now there's a lot of them that uh are having good careers in a variety of places in the in the in the globe, and it's and it's not just one place, by the way, they're moving, right? So if if they struggle in one place, somebody else sees value in Europe and they're going there. So I I would say it's hard to argue that comment.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think my point in all that is you know, you can't just parachute to the top of the mountain, right? I I think it you require some climbing to the mountain and some time to for it to mature, right? And you know, when you you no one would say that we live in a mature soccer culture in the United States. It's way different than it was in '94 when I just got out of college and you know, I mean, it was totally different, right? So I think there has to be some realism in it. Now, and the other factor I would say about this team, as we watch them go through, a lot of these guys, a lot of our best guys are in their prime age of their career. Like if you look at the roster, I mean you have your Tim Ream outliers, right? But the bulk of this team are in the prime of their prime age of their career, which is their late 20s, right? Mid to late 20s. And so I think that's another factor in their success is you know, if you're relying on, you know, 30 somethings to get you there, you're you're gonna probably be disappointed. And likewise, if you're relying on, you know, 21-year-olds to get you there, you're probably gonna be disappointed. So I think that's the other factor.
SPEAKER_05But I think as we look at it, it's like, man, as much as we want to be at the top, and we think we should be because we're America, and that's what we think, maybe we're just not quite there maturity-wise, but we're getting no, I I first of all, the acceptance of players in Europe, that's a fantastic point, and it makes a lot of sense. But not that long ago, this current team, there was none of that feeling, right? Like a year ago. Now, granted, not everybody was coming in because of uh whatever commitments, perhaps injuries. So, you know, every camp that Mauricio Pochettino had in his year and a half plus, he hasn't had all the players to choose from when he put out a starting 11 in these friendlies. But man, the good feeling for this team, there was probably that Paraguay match back in November in Chester, Pennsylvania, Gio Reina with a goal and an assist. And but then in March, you had this Belgium and Portugal. You guys observed that there was progress there, but the general feeling was like, what happened there? Especially Belgium. So, or you know, and these are two big nations that we haven't been able to compete with before. And well, we still can't compete with them, you know?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I didn't feel like that. I felt like they're clinical in front of goal, and we're we're not, but I did feel like we performed all right.
SPEAKER_06I well, and I think there's some huge credit that goes, you know, not being in the rooms and in the camps, you don't know, but it just seems like hit there's been a very Intentional culture building process of what it means to be here and that it is not to be taken for granted. Um, that there is a everyday standard is what it looks like. Um so you're right though, Glenn, because the the public, the public take. I mean, I was at the nations game where they lost to Panama uh whatever that was, like nine months ago.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Um and it was bad. It was a bad game. Yeah. Um and it was at the same stadium, and there was nobody there either.
SPEAKER_05Um well what's interesting that documentary I was telling you about Us Against the World after that game, after that loss, so there was an agreement. What's pretty interesting is this uh the the producers of this thing started with Burrhalter in 2022, and then it was transferred to Pochettino, who had no idea this thing was happening, and they had to build trust with him. And one of the times he didn't allow them uh into a meeting uh was after this one uh the the loss to Panama. And what they did uh and I complimented him because I said, Well, what happened next? Because they were actually in the meeting and uh Pochettino asked them to leave. But what they did is they just stayed outside the door uh in the uh of the room that they were in, and then they got uh film of the players coming out, and oh my goodness, the body language, the facial expressions. I don't know what he said to them, but I don't believe it was kind.
SPEAKER_06Well, maybe it was just very clear.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Maybe it was very clear that it's a good thing.
SPEAKER_05But but that's the Pochettino advantage that we've had. And
Pochettino Standards And A Crystal Ball
SPEAKER_05you know, I'm I don't know if you guys have read uh Brave New World. Uh Guillaume Balagay wrote it, and it's uh when Pochettino was at Tottenham, and Balagay was embedded. I mean, he was there every Monday, uh, dedicated an hour. Pochettino, you know, if he wanted to do the book, that's what was going to happen. Interviewed all the people around him, and that's the uh year prior, I think, to them going to the Champions League uh final. And uh but you you get a real interesting look at Pochettino. And uh my favorite, one of my favorite moments in that is his he had a he put a camera over the entrance to the uh training facility so that he could see the players coming into training and he could see the players leaving training and their facial expressions. So some players would come into training with like, you know, like uh got a train today, damn, you know, and then when they were leaving, they'd hey baby, I'm out of here. I'm going to, you know, wherever. And he would bring players in and show them the footage. Oh, wow. And say, why are you so why are you so happy to leave? And why, but but he also said he did it from a learning standpoint. He wanted to know why they had a mug on when they were coming into training. Why? Because I want to help you with this, I want to help you understand and I want to help you be happier here. So he did it with a purpose. He didn't do it just to you know ram it down their throat. But uh Pochettino's an interesting character, man, and I've had faith. I I thought it was a great hire, whether he's gone right after uh the World Cup, which is probably what's going to happen.
SPEAKER_06And and by the way, more power to him. He's come in here, he's done a he's already he's already made a difference.
SPEAKER_04I hope we can keep I hope we can keep him. I hope we can try to keep him. I he's been he's he's at least publicly he's been open to it.
SPEAKER_05Well, a lot of it's gonna depend on his family. I mean, he's such a family guy. And I'll tell you what, if his son, who runs the uh performance data side of the team, and his wife, who they are so connected, if they say, Hey man, we gotta stay. This is going well.
SPEAKER_04Great. So, Glenn, Glenn, before we wrap here um and get to my my famous Bracken Brainbuster, tell us where where we can get the book and uh anything you want us to know about that.
SPEAKER_05Well, that's that's fantastic. There's two books, put it on frame, which was published last December, and now put it on frame two, which I just put out a couple of weeks ago. And uh they're available on uh Amazon. Uh that's the easiest place to go, Google Books as well. And uh I appreciate you uh allowing me to come in and chat about it. I think the books are very good. I've had coaches at a very high level. Uh Tony Miola wrote the forward of the first book, Gio Savarese wrote the forward of the second book, and they've both told me, you know, coaches should read the books because there's all these nuggets in here. And it's about life and it's about business leadership too. I mean, there's leadership culture, there's physical performance, there's uh technical, there's I have a teacher section with Doug Lemoff, you know, you know, with you know, he's one of the featured guys in there. And um I I think it really I I've never seen uh uh books like this, and I'm not just saying it, where you get this well-rounded group of people who have been influential in the game, but from all these different angles that we have to take care of, you know. When we all first started coaching, it was like, you know, it's just like, all right, what do we do to win? It's X's and O's, and at least that's the way I was. I don't want to classify you guys that way when you first started, but that's the way I was. It's just yeah, boo-boo, go see the opponent. I didn't care about anything else. But as we have learned over the years, there's a lot to this. And um uh I I think they'd be really worthwhile books.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, agreed.
SPEAKER_06Awesome, awesome. Well, congrats.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, absolutely. Congrats and thanks for coming on. Um all right.
Brainbuster Who Can’t Be Missing
SPEAKER_04So every uh week, since you're an avid listener, Glenn, I'm sure you already know this that I ask a question of all of everyone here. Um sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's Christian doesn't like it. I've been on a roll of pretty good lately. So uh I'm gonna keep it.
SPEAKER_05So first of all, I would say who cares if Christian doesn't like it, but go ahead.
SPEAKER_04No one, but I like to say that just to you know wind them up. Um so I gotta keep this like US uh men's national team centric because you know we're all in it. You know, we want our want our want our boys to do great. And as I watched the game the other night, I was like, who is the one player who if they became unavailable, we would be like, uh oh that that one's gonna hurt. Is there one guy that you can say this team really needs throughout? Okay, and Glenn, as our esteemed guest, um you get to answer first.
SPEAKER_05Weston McKenny.
SPEAKER_04Okay. All right, do you have a why behind that?
SPEAKER_05Yes, because I think uh I think it's both on the field and off the field. Uh I think he's got an energy that uh permeates throughout this team. Uh I think he's in a very good way right now. I think it, you know, what you when you've watched his travels and travails at Juventus and how he's succeeded there, it's I think that's a remarkable story unto itself. But his ability, his coverage of the field, I mean, he is an eight plus. Where he ends up and how he helps his squad, uh, he can do it in the air, he can do it with the left peg, he can do it with the right peg. He's running into uh channels that maybe some others don't see. So he's an intelligent player. Um he's he's a team player. Uh he it produces in the big moments. Like any other player, he's had his down times, but I really think because of how much he covers the field, how much of an emotional leader he is with the side, uh, how much he's loved within the team, although they're all saying they love each other, so you know, there you go. Uh I think McKenney is the I was gonna say Balagoon, uh, and I think Richards is in there as well, but I don't think as much. I wasn't gonna say Chris Richards. But Balagoon right now, uh uh if he um you need a goal scorer, because I was a proponent of actually figuring out how to play Bolagun and Pepe at the same time, because let's face it, you've got three goal scorers on the you I mean you could say Christian Polisic is a goal scorer, but he hasn't been recently. You got three goal scorers on your side, and two of them are on the bench at the start of the game. I look at it that way sometimes. But anyway, McKenny.
SPEAKER_04McKenny, he's won over a lot of coaches at Juventus, and a lot of people have written him off, and he's what keeps winning over whoever the new coach is this week at Juventus. All right, let's go to Lakers. Deep thought.
SPEAKER_06I think I think one of uh one of the positive signs is that the team was so consistent. So in in the game, at least as I looked at it, um there was nobody who you said, oh my gosh, you take that player off the field and that game goes in a totally different direction. But all that being said, I am going to go with Chris Richards. And I'm gonna say that because um his ability at the end of the day, you're gonna you're gonna need to suffer a little bit. And when you're when you're against it, you're gonna need to have some very smart, tough tackling defenders that can cover ground, that can block shots, that can anticipate. Um and I think he uh he's he's that guy in the middle. You got Tim Tim Rim next to him is super, super smart and will help solve problems, but at some point you're gonna need somebody who can cover ground back there and and make one of those holy cow, I can't believe he got there, please.
SPEAKER_04Okay, I like it. I'm gonna go next. And I too, I should have gone before you, because I'm gonna say Chris Richards. I think he just there's something about him that brings that that brings us together defensively. And um and it just looks different when he is not out there and not not in a good way either. And listen, I'm a mild Robinson fan because he plays for FC Cincinnati, who's you know, my team here. Um, but I just think he it looks different when he's out there and we need him because I I agree with Christian. Ultimately, at some point we are going, and more than probably more than one point, we're gonna have to suffer and we're gonna have to put a zero up on the board defensively. And I think he's the guy to help us help us do that.
SPEAKER_05So I would like to support your decisions based on the fact we have an inexperienced keeper, inexperienced international keeper in Matt Freeze, yeah, and having somebody like that in front of him. And in terms of Miles Robinson, uh yeah, there's a massive difference between those two, especially right now. I don't know what's going on with Miles, but uh I hope he gets it back.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. Yeah, same, same. I'm a big, big fan, yeah. All right, we do have our producers who we bring on as well to answer this question. They are obviously avid soccer fans. Let's start with Ryan Bothman, who is the most indispensable player for the US?
SPEAKER_01I am gonna go Tyler Adams. I just think when we get into those knockout stage games against the teams that are a little bit better than us, that defensive midfield is gonna be super important. And I think that was an area on the team that maybe they didn't select quite as many players that can specialize in that area. So I think that his role is just gonna be super important and we're gonna need him for those later games.
SPEAKER_04Love that. That's a deep answer, Ryan. I love that.
SPEAKER_05No, that's a good one. And to be clear, to be clear, there are no other players on the roster that could fill that role.
SPEAKER_04No, no, absolutely not.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04All right, last but not least, Jacob Bourne.
SPEAKER_03I'm mad at Ryan because he also stole my pick. My pick is Tyler Adams uh for a lot of what Ryan said, but I think every level that he's played, both on the national team and at a club level, all of his coaches have uh showered him with praise on his leadership skills, on his ability to play his holding mid-roll. Um, and I think the fact that, you know, he's not necessarily a player that you're gonna hear a lot about on the broadcast. And I think that's partly because teams just avoid him because he does such a good job at his role, but also you'll see him, he gets stuck in so many times, and he's a guy that just battles, especially in front of Argol and in the uh attacking goal as well. So I think if you lose him and he has to sit out some games, um, I think you're gonna see his presence miss a lot more than you would expect. So he's my favorite.
SPEAKER_04Okay, good answers today. Good answers. Let's hope none of those guys get lost for any minutes that we want them out there because we want the US to win.
Wrap And How To Reach Us
SPEAKER_04Um so that's it. Glenn, great finally having you come on our podcast.
SPEAKER_06Umscribing and rating at five stars.
SPEAKER_04Five stars on Spotify or whatever.
SPEAKER_05Um of course you'll be purchasing the books and uh rating them as well, right? Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_06Twitter inframe will be in my Amazon cart shortly.
SPEAKER_04I already have it. It's on my nightstand as we speak.
SPEAKER_05No way, no way. I will say by the smirk.
SPEAKER_04I will say I did read a book uh and uh that reminded me of this. And have you ever read this book by Billy Packer called Why We Win?
SPEAKER_06I have not. I have one that's interviews with coaches that have won a lot, yeah, across all sports.
SPEAKER_04Interviews coaches and asks them about winning. Um, check it out.
SPEAKER_05That's well, the thing about the book now, what when when I was starting to write these books, people are saying, you know, people don't read books anymore. I thought thank you. But uh it is an easy book to read. It's one of those where you can put it on your nightstand and read not even a full chapter, just a couple of the interviews and get through it that way. I know some people have done that. Um and and others have just, you know, you can read it in one sitting too if you want. It's it's not a difficult read, but uh, you know, we'll see. We'll see how it goes. I I will be uh out there contacting directors of coaches. Uh and oh wow, I uh there's a couple on this show. How about that? Uh to see if uh see if your staff might be interested too. I've got a major discount for your staff, by the way. So there we go.
SPEAKER_04Well, Christian hopes Christian hopes very much the print is big and uh he can you know get through it pretty easily.
SPEAKER_06If that's an age comment, I I would consider I'm older than you, that would be a bad No, that's just all the all the books you read in law school.
SPEAKER_05Your eyes are a little, you know, it's a little difficult.
SPEAKER_06I I need readers soon, that's true. But hey, thanks thanks for being on. Uh thanks guys for having to everybody, and we'll see you all in a couple of weeks on site at the boys playoffs.
SPEAKER_04Yes, we will. See you then.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening to Breaking the Line, the ETNL podcast. And remember, if you have a question that you want answered on Breaking the Line, the ETNL podcast, email us at info at the eastnl.com.