Paraguay's Grit, Enciso's Breakout, and a Red Card for Covering Your Mouth

The whole world is telling you this is the USA's year. We live here... and we're not so sure. Fonzi is back in the room and we get into all of it. Paraguay grinding out a statement win over a Turkey side that took 62 shots and scored zero. Enciso looking like the difference between going home and going far. The USMNT topping their group for the first time since 1930, and the honest question nobody on TV wants to answer... how far does this team really go?

Plus the atmosphere that's stealing the tournament (the Scottish in Boston, the new chants, Americans falling for the game), a possible Brazil-Japan round of 32, the Captain Tsubasa effect on the next generation, and our predictions for tonight's slate.

Real takes from two brothers who actually played the game.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey guys, welcome back to the football show. Today we have a guest here, my original co-host, my brother Ponzi. And we're in a very cool spot here where we live called the Block where they broadcast the games right there. Maybe we'll be coming tomorrow, Lucy. But I just wanted to chat a little bit football with this guy because he's the one that gives me all the facts and all the videos. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

I've just been looking at the TV for way too long these last couple days.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

For way too long. But let me tell you guys yesterday game, Paraguay. What a game by them. I mean, finally, we made a prediction before they played with the US that this was a team to watch, and I think yesterday they they showed this. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

They were uh more organized than against the US game. I don't know if it was the nerves or something against the US. The US to give it their flowers, they did play really, really good. Yeah. But yesterday Powerwise showed what they're known for, right? Like that grit that they're known for back in South America. They have some good quality players, some interesting moments, right? Like that first ever red card for covering your mouth when you're talking. I'm sure we'll talk about that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

But overall, I think defensively was a great performance from from Paraguay. Honestly, offensively, even though they were playing one down at half, I think offensively they did good. They created chances. They could have been actually 2-3-0. Obviously, Turkey 2 failed a couple chances at the end.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

I don't think I've ever seen him play. Yeah. And he was out there, he was driving the ball. It was really cool. And Key, I mean, the guy that scored the goal, what's his name? Uh Galarza plays for Atlanta United. He's been very criticized in Paraguay in the latest games. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think his son, I was listening to it, he was a son of two previous goalkeepers in Paraguay. So he's there's uh crazy family of footballers, and the coach really trusts him, and in the second minute he buries that goal, it was incredible. Um and I think like I think here uh Paraguay with 11 players, the story would have been a lot different. Maybe it would have been uh a bigger score, but Turkey with the big team that they had, honestly very disappointed. They had chances at the end of the game, they had a couple topins.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

I just read, I think in the two games that they had they had 62 shots, obviously not shots on target, but like 62 shots, zero goals. That is a lot right now to put the ball in. And they had chances in the second half, they had a pretty good clear half, uh clear chance where the you know the ball got played to the center forward right in the middle of the box, yeah, and he shot it right into the goalkeeper. Couple saves from the goalkeeper, some headers that went just wide. So it was definitely not meant to be. But Turkey was one of those teams that people were saying you gotta watch out for them. There they got a good and they got they got some some decent, really players playing at a very high level, right? I I thought Turkey was gonna go through 100% on that group. So for surprise.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

I think the surprise there was not a game against Paraguay yesterday. I mean it was 10 versus 10 most of the game, but I think the surprise there was how they lost versus Australia. That was a key game, I think. That where everything kind of went downhill from there, uh in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah, I mean watching both games for me personally, Turkey doesn't play bad. They just didn't put their chances away. Maybe they do lack that one player that will create something out of nothing when they play against a deep line. I mean, you lose a man in half, you're gonna play the whole 45 with 10 men, you know the other team is gonna sit in a low block, right? On a deep line of five, maybe six. Yeah, I feel I feel like at the very end they had a line of seven on the back line parallel, right? So how do you break through that? And most teams will go wide, they'll play crosses, try to do that. Yeah, again, Turkey has some chances, very close, they almost did it, but I think you need something extra. And again, Turkey, I thought they played good both games, yeah, but they needed that little something to just put the ball on back and that extra like guts touch for the forward sign.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

You could say that they were and in CISO, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Like parallel, when in CISO grabbed the ball yesterday, you you thought anything could happen. Like he was taking on players. He got this, he had this play on the box where he took on like three different players, opened up the ball to his left. Unfortunately, he got a bad shot. You know what it was if that would have gone in.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

I saw I saw a shot at the end of the game uh where he goes and he shares like this big hug and kiss with his girlfriend. He just wanted to impress the girlfriend. We do everything for women. That's what it was. Alright, on to, I mean, this was a game that happened before US. Impressed on how they're playing, man. Like this is crazy. It's first time in history since 1930. I read the article, but 1930 was the first World Cup that they win two games in a row in the World Cup stage, in the group stage.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

I'll say I was more impressed with their first game. I thought they were on fire. Yeah. Second game, they did good, but it looked it got it got scrappy. It goes crap, it got scrappy. First half, they definitely did way better than the second half. Yeah, some debatable choices from the Australian coach there. I don't know why you wouldn't play Iraqunda from the very beginning. He was one of the best players in the first game. Yeah. You know, you could say, oh, you're gonna wait for the back line of the US to get tired, play this guy that stes to go fast. You gotta play him from the from the very start. I thought that didn't pay out, right? Like whatever strategy he was thinking about. But again, US for me personally impressed on the first half, the second half got a little scrappy. The question is, are they going to be able to maintain it, maintain that consistency? Now that they're first of group, no matter any results that happen, yeah, I think they're gonna be able to rest some key players, which is gonna be great for you know the next round. And we'll see who I don't know exactly who they're going to get, right? But now it's knockout round, it's it's all or nothing.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

It's all or nothing, man.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

But they they they they've been pretty consistent at least for what they show, and it's gonna be exciting. I I think they're gonna make it to quarterfinals. They could maybe, maybe on a good day make it to semifinals, but I think they're gonna make it to quarterfinals.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

It's funny like you see all the content going out and they ask the pundits, you know, Harry and Slata, and it's like, hey, this is the year for the US, and of course, they'll have to say I think yes. I saw an analysis with Wayne Rooney that he was doing on an English channel. It's like, look, like, yeah, I mean, uh there was an interview with Ponchettino where it's like, yeah, we believe that we can make it all the way, and you know, as a head coach and as a team, you have to believe that, right? But at the end of the day, I think the truth here, even though with this place and uh they're doing really good, I don't think they're gonna make it all the way. I mean, you'll see teams, uh, different teams that play different styles and and just the heritage alone will probably carry those games. But you know what? Never know. Maybe they're maybe they're the surprise of the tournament, and because they're playing here at home, I mean what an experience for them. Also, the fact that there's a possibility that they could play England in the in the 4th of July, how crazy is that? And in Philadelphia, which is like where like all this thing happens. I've seen a lot of clips where people are like story, you're a story now.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Round two, round two. So I'm looking here, their next game, USA is confirmed obviously, but it could potentially be against Bosnia on uh on July 1st, right? So I mean for what I've seen about Bosnia, they're right now going through as a best third of their group. Not very strong. Bosnia, I think US definitely has a chance to beat them. But but those are the teams that are dangerous, man. Those are the teams that could surprise you, and it's also a team that I mean when was the last time that they they also went to a World Cup, right? And like they have that fire in the city. Yeah, they had they had that fire. I mean, all the teams, let's be real, all the teams obviously in the world cup have that fire in them. But um, yeah, USA should go through, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bosnia potentially surprised, you know, you got Eddie Njeko on his last World Cup.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Yeah, the 40-year-old veteran and so on.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

But yeah, so he could definitely surprise me.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

I mean for the sake of the show and for the sake of this country that's hosting, I think it's gonna be a great experience. Uh we've seen fans leveling up, we've seen fans coming up with new chance shoutout. Well done. I think that's like needed. Uh but you can see the atmosphere in Seattle was electric there. And you know, uh the rest of the game is obviously Scotland versus Brazil. That's gonna be a massive game coming up on the next round. Brazil already, I think are they qualified another four points, right? But technically, are they? We have Brazil with four points, Morocco with four points, and Scotland with three. So I mean they're gonna qualify there. Yeah, that Brazil Scotland is gonna be a final to see who gets first, and obviously Haiti shut out.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

I mean it could be Brazil-Japan on round of 32 for as it stands right now, right? And this is as we're recording this episode. Yeah, so this is what is today, June 20th. Yeah, so as of June 20th, as it stands, Brazil could potentially play Japan on their round of 32.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

That'll be that'll be fun. That'll be a great one for an anime series, but uh you know.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Well for for those for the lovers of Captain Subasa. Captain Subasa, yeah. The 2002 show, Oliver, right, the main or or Subasa, right, the main uh the main character. He goes and plays in Brazil. Yeah. So and the first game of the World Cup in that one is against Brazil.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

And you know, for those we mentioned this a couple episodes ago, so go check it out. But we talk about the story about Japan creating this anime on soccer and the stories and how they motivate players. And I'm living it right now. I have a seven-year-old and a four-year-old. They're watching those shows and they're getting so excited, so motivated. We're actually coming from one of those practices right now and those games. And they're trying to imitate the players, they're trying to imitate the shots that they do, and it just gets them involved in the sport, and I think that's why the rest of the world is also loving the stories in this World Cup. Talking about stories, the Scottish in Boston. Boston is almost like all the people from Boston who wants the Scottish to stay, the Scottish wants to stay. So it's crazy all the videos that we've seen out there of like the this community around the World Cup and the party that's happening, and like the goodness that we've seen across the nation.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

The joy of the game.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

The joy of the game. This is what this game is so exciting because it brings people together no matter where you are. We see videos from Americans that are turning into massive fans of the sport because they interact with these fans and they, you know, it's almost like hey, we've been sold this crazy story out in the world, and now that we're experiencing it, uh, it's such a cool, such a cool experience. So, shout out to everybody if you're watching the show and you're a part of these groups, let us know in the comments below. We'd love to share your story and so on. What else, Fonsi? What else you got for us? I mean, today we have we're about to watch Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Ivory Coast. By the time you watch this, probably those games have already happened. All right, let's do that.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Let's do what what are your um your guesses for today's games?

SPEAKER_01 11:25

My predictions for today. I think Netherland is gonna win a two-2-1 against Sweden. It's gonna be a tough game.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Um Germany, Ivory Coast. I think that's gonna be like a 2-2.

SPEAKER_00 11:37

I'll give it a 2-2. Uh no, I think Germany is gonna beat Ivory Coast. They're gonna get the best out of them. Germany is very, very strong. Ivory Coast surprise me. I'll say they did surprise me and they're very physical. Obviously, they have one of the best young players of the tournament, Jan Diamond Dev, who's really like he was so good. He did so good against Ecuador. But collectively, Germany, I feel like they're another monster and they're playing really, really good. They have a good coach. So I'm gonna go with Germany 3, Ivory Coast one.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

I'm interested to see that that whole dynamic because the physicality and the speed of Ivory Coast, and maybe the motivation of them beating Germany, I think that could make for an entertaining game. Yeah, I think. I mean that Ivory Coast Ecuador was such an exciting game to watch. Wow, such an exciting game to watch. You know, Ecuador against Curaçao. Does Curaçao make a surprise tonight?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

It's gonna be 4-0 Ecuador.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

4-0 Ecuador. I'll give it a 3-0 for Ecuador too. Again, rooting for the South American nations here, hopefully they can do better. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Netherlands, Sweden. That's a tough one. I think the Netherlands might win, but because I'm such a biased Arsenal fan, white man Gjoker is gonna come out with the win and they're gonna win. It's gonna be 3-2 Sweden. Listen, so Sweden. Swed that Sweden game, they I did not expect them to be that good. Not all. Well, and you were listening to like they didn't actually win any of the their games during the qualifiers. Yeah. They actually in the Nations League they won, is when they actually won the game.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

And and you hear about Tunisia where like they're like top of the table in the world.

SPEAKER_00 13:17

They had like theme games like clean sheets, something like that.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

And then you know that this game happens, their coach is fired, they bring the guy that coached Saudi Arabia in uh in Qatar. He comes in and he has one of those another like very viral like speeches with the teams like this is for you guys, for your nation, for your families. I I don't know, like Tunisha might might pick it up, who knows? I'll be interested to see what the story, what that story would turn out to be. But the fact is like this World Cup and this tournament is is showing stories from all over and the access that we had with social media and the people that are on the film documenting all these things, it's incredible. So tune in, watch the games. Let us know in the comments below what are your opinions, who you're rooting for, and uh the food is here, so we gotta go and eat and then get ready for the games tonight. With that said, thank you guys so much for tuning to the football show. This is Fonzi. Put it in the comment. Do we want more of Ponzi in the episode? I said yes, I said yes, wife over there saying yes, let's go, baby over there saying yes. I'll see you in the next episode.