Ep. 11 - USMNT vs. Germany Recap, World Cup News and Player Draft

• Brandon and Shaun recap the USMNT's 2-1 defeat to Germany on Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago. 
  • Lineup thoughts
  • Breakdown of the goals 
  • Encouraging performance or not?
  • Stand out performers (good and bad)
  • Tim Weah challenge and friendly culture discussion
• World Cup Injuries
  • Some late roster moves for some of the world's best teams
• World Cup Player Draft
  • 12 player teams (11 starters, 1 bench)
  • Players are divided into 4 tiers based on their nation's FIFA ranking
  • Must select a minimum of two from each tier
  • Each player's points are multiplied by their tier
  • 2 points per goal, 1 per assist
  • Points multiply as tournament progresses

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Hello, friends, and welcome to the 11th episode of the Friends on Football Podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Brandon Johnson, and I'm here today with my other co-host, Mr. Sean Boyle. Sean, how are you feeling today?

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Brandon, it is always a pleasure. I am feeling excited, would be my one-word answer. How are you?

SPEAKER_02 0:40

I'm good. I'm good. We're less than a week away from the first kicks. Uh it's gonna be a great, it's gonna be a great summer, my friend.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

That's right. It is World Cup week. We're officially here.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

Yes, it is here. So tonight, Sean, we are gonna go over a few different things. We're gonna do a recap of the US men's national team game against Germany. We're gonna go over some World Cup news, and then the majority of our episode we will be spending doing a player draft. We will get into the rules and regulations of this player draft later. But Sean cooked up a little challenge for the two of us that we're gonna take part in just to give us some extra extra juice leading into the World Cup. So, Sean, I'm excited to do this with you. Let's start off with the US men's national team. First, I guess my first question for you, Sean, is the lineup. What did you think of Pachatino's lineup for Saturday's game?

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Brandon, we talked about last week how we hoped in this final tune-up match against Germany that we would see our best 11. We knew Chris Richards likely wouldn't be fit, but we thought outside of him, we want Potch to put our best foot forward, see how we stack up. And I think after seeing the lineup, that was my immediate reaction was we got just that. We got who I think both of us would agree are the starters or who we think should be the starting 11. There's a couple of questionable decisions if you want to really get into the nitty-gritty, but for the most part, after seeing the lineup, I thought, okay, this is who Potch feels is the best 11. We're gonna get a real answer as to where we stand right now. The boys are gonna play hard, they're gonna treat this as a real match, as they should, as it's the only time we're going to see this good of competition, this close to a major tournament, with all of the key players on the field together. I have a couple of bones to pick with starters, but it's really, it's really not a factor if Chris Richards is healthy. So assuming he's ready for the Paraguay match, I think we saw the team we will put out there to face Paraguay. What did you think about the lineup?

SPEAKER_02 2:40

I agree with you. Saw the team sheet come out, and I got excited because that is who I think, like you said, we both would pick to represent our country, to represent our team. And to get that quality of an opponent this close to the World Cup, that's invaluable. So to be able to put out your best 11 against Germany, and they put out a strong team as well. So don't discount them either.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

It was basically their first choice 11, with the exception of Manuel Neuer still working his way back to fitness, but he just came out of international retirement. So really, it was Germany's best versus the United States' best, with an exception or two, which is always going to happen in a knockout tournament. There's going to be injuries, so you're likely never going to get all of your guys at 100%. This was probably the best that both sides could do.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Absolutely. I agree. So that's all you ask for. You know, you don't want to see uh a strong US lineup against Germany's third string, or vice versa. So we went doggy dog against them. Uh Sean, just give a quick breakdown of the game, key moments. What did you think about the match overall?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah, I guess we should just start in chronological order of the goals. And immediately Germany started the match. First of all, Chicago, brilliant. For a friendly, the atmosphere was electric. There was bad weather to start the match too. It didn't deter any of the fans. It seemed like an actual World Cup game atmosphere, and maybe better than some of the ones we'll see in some other cities. So it feels like Chicago might have been robbed of some hosting duties, but that's a conversation for a different day. I thought the immediate start to the game with the Germany goal did suck the wind out of it a little bit. How the goal came about, it was, I believe, a heavy touch from Malik Tillman. We turned the ball over, and then basically Tyler Adams, who's one of our more experienced, higher-level players, commits a stupid foul in a dangerous position, sets up a free kick for Joshua Kimmich, who's very good at taking those. He puts one right on the head of Kai Havertz. It's a situation where Matt Freeze probably should have come out of his goal. He gets caught kind of second-guessing himself. We have Tim Reim and Miles Robinson kind of mess up a switch as to who was Man Mark and Kai Havertz. And next thing you know, we're about six minutes into the game, and Germany are ahead 1-0, and it's pissing rain. So the vibes deteriorated pretty quick, but I thought we responded really well. So why don't you just talk about how you felt through that first portion of the match?

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Yeah, the goal definitely hurts that early, especially. I agree with you. Chicago really put put on well, and I thought it was a very good atmosphere besides that little blip in the first, I think it was the second minute or third minute of the game. We looked pretty strong. And I think it took the US a little bit of time to kind of get into the game. But once they were in the game, that back half of that first half, I thought we could match up with almost anybody in the world. Obviously, we'll go over the goal from Anthony Robinson, but just the corner kicks, the opportunities, the chances that they were getting, the runs that they were making. I thought Balogun was very dangerous. Christian was good as well. Serginho, like we mentioned in the the past episodes, at times he almost is playing as a forward, essentially, on that wing, playing as a wing back. They were creating chances, connecting, and it just was that little final, that final pass they were missing. And I think that's a criticism we've always had, Sean, about the US and just our country in general. We were we're just about there, but that final little oomph to get us over the top sometimes is missing. And I think some of that is talent, you know, let's just be honest. But I also think some of it is hey, these guys haven't played together all that much. Uh they're coming from all different countries, and this is really their second full match, and even still their first probably true 90 minutes playing together. So I love the response. Obviously, you don't want to give up a goal in the first couple minutes of the game, especially on home soil, that really deflated the stadium. But I think credit to Chicago, credit to the fans. They stayed through the weather and they really pushed the team on. And to score, you know, Anthony Robinson's goal off that corner kick, uh, essentially corner goes in. Germany, I believe, heads to clear it, and Anthony Robinson hits about 23, 24-yard uh volley straight out of the air into the top of the net. I mean, an absolute beautiful goal. Uh, I'm talking retelling the story, but I'm not saying it with the emotion that I felt when I saw that goal because that was an absolute banger. So to see that from a left back in a World Cup prep game, if you will, uh definitely gets you excited. So I think the response of the US after that goal and through the rest of the first half was great. That's what you want to see from the team from for 90 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

100% agree. In the Senegal-friendly, the first one of this window, we started out just completely playing Senegal off the park. They didn't appear to be ready. The United States, it's tough to give up a set piece that quick into a game. You're not switched on, you're not in the flow of the game yet. And Germany took advantage, and that's what elite teams do. But like you said, the United States responded very well. The obviously that is capped off with Jedi's Wonder Strike, which you said it was an absolute galazzo. I couldn't believe how he hit it. It's one of those that you see guys try all the time. That situation comes about pretty often in that exact area of the pitch, and usually it goes into row Z and they jog back and they toss their hand up, say my bad. But Jedi, credit to him, absolutely unbelievable. He nailed the celebration, backflips for the crowd. It was great. And I thought we dominated the run of play in that back half of the first half, which was encouraging to see for all of the reasons you mentioned. Not only just the response, but it showed that we belong in that same bucket as a team like Germany, who are they're way more advanced than we are in terms of where they're at as a footballing country. So to see that we're at least comparable to them at this moment in time is a really good, encouraging sign. To your point about some things not coming off in the final third, that is something that we keep coming back to with this US side, and I think we're going to come back to for a long time. I'm not sure if it's only talent, but that is what separates good teams from great teams, is that final talent in the final third, picking the right pass, choosing the right shot, having that extra bit of technical ability to get half chances into goals is what countries like France and Argentina do so well, and countries like the United States struggle to do more often than not. So sometimes you need moments of brilliance, like we saw from Jedi. But I think the encouraging thing for the US is we're starting to move towards a time where we're the ones playing front foot attacking football. And that's how your players get more comfortable in those situations. For as long as I can remember, the United States was always a gritty counter-attack. You know, we're gonna play harder than you and try to muck it up and win a game in the World Cup. And now it seems like we're getting to a point where our talent can stand a little bit alone and we can dominate the ball and we could take the game to the opposition. So that was encouraging. Now, with all that being said, we did lose this match, and we brought our starting unit back out for the second half, and we conceded that second goal, which again, I have to point to another guy who I don't want to do this. He's one of my favorites. He's the spine of the team. Tyler Adams was kind of at fault for the second one, too. I will say there's a guy who shows up at every crime scene for the United States so far. And he might not be the shooter, but he's at the crime scene a lot, and it's Miles Robinson. He won't be in the lineup if Chris Richards is healthy, but this guy can't get over his fingerprints, they are all over the crime. So we gotta do something about Miles Robinson. It's a little disconcerting that Posh seems to trust him the most out of the center backs after him. So that's not great, but that second Germany goal was a bit of a backbreaker. We were fine in the second half, but it got a bit disjointed when we made a bunch of changes. I would have liked to have seen the US get a result in this game, but I think the biggest thing for me was it was an encouraging performance.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Agree with you. I think anytime you put on that jersey, you want to come out with three points, of course. And to not get anything out of that game is probably a little bit unfair, but that's football. To to lose only by one, though, you know, I'm not I'm not discouraged. I think it's a tough result to go off of and then go play Paraguay next week. But I'm not throwing the talent. I think we're okay. I was gonna ask you, what did you think about towards the end of the match with Tim Weia getting a little scrappy with their guys? You know, he gets a yellow card and then he he kind of sticks a sly tackle in. That was clean, I believe, but I think the Germany players were a little upset. This maybe maybe not this game specifically, Sean, but just what are your thoughts on I guess this friendly culture? Like, is a friendly truly a friendly? Is it just a training session? Like, how were we is Tim Weia justified in his actions towards the end of that match? Because I I I'm interested in seeing how you feel, because I have thoughts on this as well. But uh, what do you think about this?

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Okay, so there's a couple of layers to this question that I want to answer. Okay, I'm glad you brought this up. The first thing is I think each friendly is different. I think in this instance, it's the last match you're going to play before the World Cup. I think this goes past the levels of a normal hit and giggle friendly where it's in the middle of the offseason and you're just getting some cardio in. And we see preseason games in football that are just to build fitness. And I think the levels of those matches are certainly down a peg from what we saw on Saturday. So I do think the stakes are raised a little bit in a situation like this. So overall, I think a friendly is different for each country as well. Sometimes you'll see a country who is about to play in a major tournament playing in a friendly, and then sometimes you'll see a country who's just trying to figure some things out and they didn't qualify for a tournament. So a lot of these World Cup friendlies we're seeing are between nations that are in the World Cup and nations that aren't. Those two teams are going to have two different approaches. So I think the mindset all comes from the manager and what they're trying to get out of the match. Now, the second layer is Timothy Weha, who was sent off with a red card in Copa America, which really hurt the United States and eventually knocked them out of the tournament. He then he's on a booking, he goes in, like you said, a crunching slide tackle, which was clean. He did win the ball first, but in stoppage time of a friendly, the Germany players took exception to it. And honestly, with the World Cup a week away, the last thing I would want is somebody in a meaningless game coming in hard at me with three minutes to play. On the flip side though, Tim Wei is pissed off that he's not a starter for this United States team. And Pachatino is a fiery Argentinian, and I guarantee you Poch loves seeing Timo play through the whistle there. And I think that was just Timothy saying, hey, I'm here if you need me. I want to be a key contributor on this team, so I have no problem with it from Timmy's point of view. If I was his coach, I would want the same thing.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

Okay, so your last point is how I feel. And I think he's justified in the tackle, I think he's justified in the way he plays. But and maybe because we're not pro soccer players, so we don't have this conversation or these thoughts, but is there a little bit of a golf handshake agreement where it's like, hey, like we're we're five minutes away from the World Cup, like for sure. Let's just go. You know, so but you're right, because you have a guy like Weia who needs to get fitness and then also to prove himself that he can be playing at the World Cup. It's it's kind of a weird situation for someone like him to be in.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Yeah, I honestly think it's both sides are right. Like, I think Germany's right to be pissed off, and Tim's right to be like, hey, I'm not here to care about your feelings, I'm here to compete for a starting spot. And I think that's perfectly fine for both sides. If I was a German, I would have taken exception for sure. In that moment, I was like, Yeah, get in, T Move. Like, good tackle. I love saying it. So, yeah, I think it is what you make of it. It depends what side you're on as to where your opinion's gonna fall, I believe, on this one. But I really don't think if you're agreeing to play a friendly match, you can't be mad at anything that happens within it unless it's completely over the line. Because you have to understand that each side is going to have a different approach, each individual is going to have a different approach to the friendly. If Kylian Mbappe was on that pitch, he's treating it as a cardio session. But a reserve on the United States team is not going to treat it like that. So I think that's you have to just understand there's different complexities for each person. There's different complexities for each team. I have no problem with anything that took place.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Fair. No, I I wanted to get your thoughts just because I have been reading some things online and it's kind of gone both ways. I was also at the Paraguay US game back in, I believe it was November of last year, that was a friendly, and it that game sort of ended with a little bit of a dust-up as well. And that you would consider way less of an important friendly. That was both teams already gonna be they were going to the World Cup. They obviously did not know that they were gonna be in the same group at that point, but you know, they were having a dust-up at the end of that game. So I I was just interested in your thoughts because it is a weird situation to be in, and you're right, I think both sides are correct, and then there's probably not a solution to this, it's just kind of like this is how it is. But I appreciate your uh thoughts. I guess switching back to the US game against Germany one last time. I know we have our 26-man roster. It is what it is. Like you said, this is probably gonna be very close to, if not the starting 11 next Friday night. Stock up, stock down, Sean. Who who made moves for you? Who maybe played their way into some more minutes? Who are you a little bit more reserved about that you were maybe previously excited for?

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Yeah, I think that's a good way to frame this conversation because obviously we're not talking about their stock in terms of making the roster or even getting minutes. We kind of know who's going to play at this point. It's more so our general feeling about these players and how much confidence we have in them. So I would say from that point of view, let's just get the bad out of the way first, and then we can transition to who had better performances. I mentioned his name already. I don't want to beat this drum because I trust him in big moments, but Tyler Adams had a pretty bad game. He wasn't directly at fault for both goals, but he had a large role in both. He gave away that free kick, which is a terrible spot to give away a free kick, and it was a needless foul. They score from that set piece. And then in the second half, he is the one who switches off and doesn't track the run. That leads to the second goal. So that's kind of his fault as well. Now, another guy I have as a stock down, and this is a guy who I don't think should be playing. I didn't think he should be on the roster. I'm going to back him if he's on the pitch, but he's making it hard to do that because I don't think he's the best man for the job. Now, I will say in his defense, we don't have a ton of good choices with Chris Richards being out, but Miles Robinson continues to be in and around some really concerning things for the United States. If he's out there in a World Cup match, he's the only player so far that's been out there that I just do not trust. And he's at a very crucial position in the back line, playing the center role of the back three. I really think the downgrade from Chris Richards to him is the most drastic we could see on this roster. I would much prefer Austin Trustee. I would much prefer Mark McKenzie. And Mark McKenzie hasn't covered himself in glory in these friendlies either. It's just the general sense I get is maybe it's because Mark McKenzie's mistakes haven't gone punished as much as much as Miles Robinson's have. And that's just luck of the draw sometimes. But I do think his level as a player is higher. So I would say my two biggest stock downs were Tyler, and again, I trust him to get right, just more so like a reminder. Hey, Tyler, we need you at your best. And then Miles Robinson, who hopefully will not be out there if Chris Richards is healthy.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Okay, I agree with you. I don't have any objection to your two choices. I think Tyler in that spot, he's always kind of been that destroyer, that number six role, and we've always put him there. He's arguably one of the first names on the team sheet every week. So I think him having a bad game is a little bit of a reminder. Like, hey, you you're not impossible to be replaced or anything like that. Granted, I he kind of is because I don't know who they're gonna play instead of him, but yeah, what do you think about that?

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Yeah, it's kind of like, hey Tyler, bad job, like smack his wrist, but get back out there and do it, do it again. Try a little harder because you have to. So there's that aspect of it. And another one where I feel the exact same. I didn't bring him up. I don't think it's a necessarily a stock down, but I don't think freeze was exactly inspiring confidence in this game either. That first set piece, he steps out a step and then ultimately retreats back to his goal as the header is moving past him. I think in that situation, I would rather see you be aggressive and just get a hand to it. Do anything you could. I think that set piece, he definitely it seems like from the previous goalkeepers who were commenting on the match, that's what they suggested he should do. I'll take their word for it. It's more of a general vibe with him, too. I did prefer him to Matt Turner, but now I'm kind of getting the heebie jeebies with Freeze, and I don't know if I like any of our goalkeeping options either. So not a stock down, but something to monitor. What did you think about the goalkeeping performance?

SPEAKER_02 20:19

Yeah, I I mean I've never I've never been a goalkeeper. I've played soccer most of my life, never played goalie, but my thought into what Matt was thinking, and again, I could be completely off, is he sees that's gonna be a cross rather than a direct shot and thinks, let me go eat that, let me get a punch, let me get a hand on it. He goes, realizes shoot, I'm not getting that. So instead of going out and just diving and making a mess of it and it going in the goal, anyways, maybe he thought, let me retreat, and depending on where this header goes, maybe I can re react to it quickly. Again, I'm not a goalkeeper, so I don't know their thoughts. I don't know the process of all that, but as far as stock down, yeah, I Turner's in the in the goal, that goal may still happen. The the set piece is quality, so I think we're maybe stretching a bit. You not just me and you, but yeah, the pundits, the the former goalkeepers, all of them as well. Because goals are gonna get scored on us, like we're not indestructible. So I didn't I don't I didn't love his performance by any means, but I don't think he scared me enough to say, hey Sean, maybe we should be putting in Matt Turner instead.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

For sure. And I'm in the same boat. It's just something I want on the record that hey, don't say we didn't warn you if he tosses one in his own net. We're aware of it, we're monitoring the situation. Fair enough. So fair enough. And then the other only other thing on a negative note, it's not even breaking news. It was just a reminder in this game is Tim Ream is slower than a Tuesday. He really needs Chris Richards alongside him. I like Tim Ream, he's my captain, I trust him. To make good decisions, he's good with the ball at his feet for the most part. It's just there's sometimes you see him in space and you're like, oh shit, we're in trouble here. And he just can't recover. I guess the whole back line, center backs, goalkeeper, were the area that I was watching with a microscope in this one, they didn't exactly exude confidence. So now let's move up the pitch. Let's talk about some better performances. Who do you think had a really good day on Saturday?

SPEAKER_02 22:27

I think the obvious one is Anthony Robinson. He was already a lock as left-wing back. I don't think you and I could nothing against Max Arson. I love Max Arson, but there is a drop-off there. And Anthony knows he's the starter, similar to Tyler Adams. So I guess technically stock up, but his stock was already so high that it wasn't gonna matter. For him to be able to get in the attacking third, and obviously the goal is a wonder goal. That goal may never happen again. That is incredible. But I just liked the way he joined the attack, the way he was a threat. He was helping us create corners and really being involved in the attack more than just your typical wing back. So I think the threat of him being another scoring or assist option, playmaking option, definitely raises the stock. Because let's be honest, Sean, Christian's on the field, Christian's gonna get double teamed. Uh it's just the way it is. I if I were another team, I'd probably do the same strategy against the United States too and say, hey, we're not letting this guy beat us. Make somebody else beat us. And so if Anthony can get up high on that wing, you know, Balogun and the other guys in the midfield helping out as well, it could it could really help us. But I think Anthony really took another step for me on the weekend with his performance. And then my other, you know, stock up for me. This is kind of tongue in cheek, but I think it's Mark McKenzie and Austin Trusty, you know, seeing who they have to go up against, I think automatically their stock rises. And you know, we're we're saying this tongue in cheek, kind of joking around, but Pochino has to take a deep look. And if he's talking to the medical team and they're like Chris isn't healthy to play, where are we turning? And I if he turns to Miles again, we've already seen it twice. Like, pull me once, shame on you, pull me twice, shame on me. Like, we can't see it three times. You can't get pulled three times.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

The matches matter now, can't do it. Yeah, okay, it's all funny games and the hit and giggle friendlies. It they they count now. I don't want to see him on the pitch anymore. I'll say it as simply as that. Brandon, great shout to mention the two reserve center backs who didn't do much themselves, but just weren't horrific. So it's just a nice, it's a nice win for them. To your first point, Anthony Robinson. I would I would completely agree. His athleticism provides such a difference on this team. The ability he has to get up and down the pitch at that position, it's spectacular. Being a win wing back frees him up during the attack. I think the whole left side of our attack, starting with Tim Reim building with his left foot at the back, Jedi Pulisic dropping deep into that pocket. I think that's where we saw some of the best moments from the U.S. It's unfortunate that Pulisic had to drop as deep as he did, as consistently as he did, for us to build up. He was able to drop and then receive, and then he played a brilliant ball, a big switch to Serginho a diagonal, which was great. It almost came off for a goal. I think that the wing backs in this system are a huge plus for the United States. I think it's a perfect role for Serginho. I think Jedi can do both. He can moonlight as a left back or a left wing back, but I think this frees him up to get on the end of chances and score goals at a higher rate. I think both of them are more attackers than they are defenders, and that's encouraging to see. I want to play that dominant football. I want more guys in the round the box. I would agree with you on both of those fronts. Another one who I thought had a pretty decent performance, and it was encouraging to see was Malik Tillman. He had a couple moments where he got caught with the ball, heavy touch here, heavy touch there. But he was playing in that deeper role next to Tyler Adams, which we assumed would be Weston McKenney, but Weston was the 10. So it seems like Potch is pretty set on the fact that Weston is going to be the attacking midfielder, and Malik will be starting alongside Tyler. And for him to jump into that role, which he hasn't done often, and be pretty solid at it and not a point of weakness for the United States, I think that was encouraging as well.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Yeah, he's an interesting player for me because I think maybe it's just the way I think about things. I always try to put players in a certain box where I'm like, all right, this is a six, this is an eight, this is a ten, whatever it may be. He sort of floats, and maybe Pachatino found the right move by putting him a little bit deeper, like you said, next to Tyler, rather than higher with Christian. But I I thought I agree with you. I thought he did really well. I thought he played his role well. I think he's still gilling with Tyler, and they're gonna have to figure that out a little bit. But having that position not be Christian Rolldon, uh or Sebastian Berholter is automatically a stock up. So I agree with you. I think Tillman shows that he can play in sort of two different spots, which hey, you only got 11 players out there. If you can play multiple spots, it's gonna help your chances. So yeah, kudos to him.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

And then lastly, this is gonna shock you. I I didn't have the I know you didn't have this on your sheet ahead of time. I'm gonna give a stock up to Sebastian Bearhalter. Wow. I thought he put in a little ship. I'll tell you what, he did this little this little move along the touch line. And I said, Oh my god, what happened here? Who is this guy? And it did go out for a goal kick. So we need to we need to see that. Like, let's not pretend it's something it wasn't, but everybody's ranting and raving about this guy as if he's the next best thing in the midfield, and I think that's completely out of bounds, but I do think there's a spot in the group for a guy who just busts his ass and can hit a set piece. And we talked about that as his two strengths, and I think there's some value in that. It seems like he's well liked by the group, and the real stock up for him is he has improved a hell of a lot the last three years. I used to think he was dog shit. I still don't think he's very good, but he's getting better and he works really hard. So you know what? I'm not too proud. I'll stick my hand up and say, stock up, Sebastian Berhalter. Well done, the boy.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

It must be a full moon or or something's happening. The apocalypse is coming because to hear Sean Boyle say, stock up the Sebastian Berhalter, I must be dreaming. But um I agree with you, Sean. I'm much more pro Sebastian Berhalter than you were before this, but he he did play, he did play well. The little the little move on the touchline was fantastic because I don't I don't think people know he has that in his locker, but for him to bring the outside I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

I thought it was pulsic.

SPEAKER_02 29:02

I thought they I thought the AI Bearhalter's face, I thought it was pullistic. But you're right. I think he I think he played well, and there's a spot in this team, and like like we've talked about, there's three games in a short period of time. Guys are gonna need rotation, guys are gonna need backups. So to be able to point to him off the bench in a 60th minute, or hey, maybe he starts a game for 60, 45, is encouraging. So kudos to Sebastian Burrhalter. Sean gave you the compliment, not me, surprisingly. You better earn it. You better earn it next week, Sebastian.

SPEAKER_01 29:35

How I see it. Brandon, why don't we tie a bow on the US game? Final takeaways. Was it encouraging? Was it discouraging? How do you feel heading into Paraguay? I feel good, Sean.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

We'll touch on the Paraguay game next a little bit, but I definitely feel encouraged to go up against Germany. Maybe isn't in the A tier of teams that are going to win it, but maybe that A minus, B plus tier of teams that can really compete this summer and to compete at that level, especially that second half of the first half. I was really impressed. So I'm I'm definitely a positive on that performance.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

I'm co-signing. I'm with you. Positive, encouraging stuff for the most part. We highlighted the things we have to be cognizant of and maybe try to fix and tighten up ahead of Paraguay, but overall, another step in the right direction. We're building something. I think I'm fully ready and confident in this group ahead of Friday's opening match. So that's the good news. And there's some more good news on the way, Brandon. What else do we have on this Paraguay match?

SPEAKER_02 30:37

I I don't want to call it good news, Sean, but fortunate. Fortunate news for the US. I'll call it that. So last in Paraguay's last uh World Cup friendly, Julio and Ciso went off, stretchered off in the 25th minute of the game. He is a Brighton player, and reports are still a little bit mixed. They're not really sure exactly what happened, but it looks very unlikely that he'll play against the U.S. in the first match on Friday night. I think they said it's like an injury to his back and potentially his side as well. So you never want to see a guy get hurt at the same time. The U.S. is only going to be able to play against whoever Paraguay puts on the field. So if Paraguay puts a weaker team on the field, it helps the U.S. So, you know, you wish for this guy to get better, but maybe he gets better after Friday, after we play that.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

I'll even say this. I'll go as far to say I hope he has the tournament of his life after Friday. I hope he's amazing. I just hope he doesn't play Friday. So that's something. It doesn't seem like he's been replaced from the roster yet or anything like that. So they'll make that decision this week. There have been, Brandon, some other notable World Cup injuries that I want to just quickly touch on. We've mentioned some of these guys in our previews quickly in Germany. He didn't feature against the United States because of this injury, but Leonard Carl, he is out. He's a young attacking midfielder who plays at Bayern Munich. I believe he's 19. He's one for now and the future. He's really quality. He suffered a muscle injury. So what do they do? They bring in another really young attacking midfielder who's really talented. Assan Waidrago. He comes in to the German squad. He's not as much of a talent as Carl is, but he is still a really good prospect for the future. Not sure how much he'll feature for Germany. It is definitely a downgrade and something that hurts their depth. In Argentina, their third center back, Leonardo Ballardi, he is out for the World Cup. They haven't named who they're going to bring in yet, but it seems like the front runner is Marcos Senesi, the new Tottenham signing, left-footed center back, previously at Bournemouth. He is joining Tottenham on a free transfer this year, which is great business. We'll talk about that. Probably in August. But he is somebody who will likely get minutes for Argentina in their back line. So that's an important injury. Hopefully, there's not much of a downgrade there if you're an Argentinian supporter. I don't think there should be. Both are pretty quality players. And then lastly, this one is significant. Wesley is out for Brazil. He was set to start at right back for them. And the thing about this is Wesley, he plays at Roma. He's a really good attacking right back who also does his job defensively. He tracks back, he's athletic. The issue for them is this is their weakest position. I mentioned Brazil when I did their preview. The thing I was concerned about was their fullback depth, and they lost a fullback and they've replaced him with a midfielder. They replaced him with Clerson, who is a central midfielder who played at Atalanta. He is now joining Manchester United this summer. So a good player, young, able to cover a ton of ground. He's kind of an engine, more so than he is a technical player, but he's also not a right back. Can he do a job there? Sure. I'm sure he could. He plays hard and he's right footed. I feel like if you're going to hide somebody, you might be able to do it there. But I am worried about Brazil's depth at right back. So that's something to monitor as the tournament goes along, especially because the rest of their back line is on the older side. So, Brandon, we have covered the world, we have covered the United States game. We have covered some injury news. It's now time for our draft. We wanted to do something that's a little bit of fun for us to do. It gives the listeners a chance to follow along. Maybe we'll let you pick sides. We'll put out graphics for who's in the lead. I will encourage people to join Team Sean. We'll see how the cookie crumbles, though. I might draft a horrible team. We don't know. Let me go over the rules quickly and you let me know if you have any objections. So we're going to draft 12 players total. There will be 11 starters and one bench player. Basically, you get two points for a goal, one point for an assist. Okay, we have tiered the teams into four tiers based on their FIFA ranking. So, as you can imagine, the pot one teams are the heavy hitters, the pot two teams are solid, the pot three teams were dwindling, and the pot four teams, you're looking for anything. We do have to draft at least two players from each tier. So you can't just take all players from tier one. You have to spread the love a little bit. We're drafting 12, you have to take two from each tier. All of the points multiply as the rounds advance. So we're still working out the finer details, but basically, a group stage goal is going to count for two. A goal in the round of 32 might count for two and a half. A goal in the quarterfinals might count for four. We're going to multiply it as we move along. That will be our scoring system. And then the last little wrinkle is we both have to choose one captain. The captain's points will count for double. So, oh, I also should mention this is the other thing. If you draft a tier four player and they score a goal, it is multiplied by their tier. So a two-point goal in the group stage scored by a fourth-tier player is worth eight points. So there is some weight, there's some reason to draft those guys potentially early in the draft. So everything's weighted, everything magnifies as the tournament goes along. If you're a two, if you draft a player from a tier two country, it is worth double. If you draft a player from a tier three country, it is worth triple. Things will also multiply as the tournament progresses, as I said. The captain's armband goes on one player, their points are doubled throughout. So there's a little bit of strategy with that as well. Brandon, do you have any questions? Do you have any concerns?

SPEAKER_02 36:21

The only thing, Sean, I think you maybe forgot to mention is you can only take a max of one player per team. So you cannot pick teammates, you can only take one player from each country.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

I did forget to mention that. That's a great shout by you. So that also had some strategy for us because if you draft a player from a country, the other person doesn't have to touch them until the end of the draft if they want a player from that country because they know you can't take another. So that's another wrinkle. Do you want to go first or second?

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Oh, don't do this to me.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

It is a snake draft, of course. We're not monsters.

SPEAKER_02 36:56

I think I gotta go first. I got a 1-1 in my bag, and I just have to use it. I bet you it's the same as my 1-1.

SPEAKER_01 37:03

I hope it is. It probably is. Hey, listen, that's a good friend. I'm gonna let you go first. I will pick second. Why don't you kick us off? And we'll we'll obviously talk a little bit about each pick as we go along. So we'll give you a little insight as to why we took them.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Sean, I will say uh I'm a big fan of the Torture Advance department drafts, and you're on a heater, so the least you can do is let me go first here in my first ever draft.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

Undefeated, never lost, Brandon. Over on the Tortured Fans. So we'll we'll look to keep that going here on the Friends of Football. This is our inaugural draft.

SPEAKER_02 37:38

Alright. So based on all the rules you said, I took them all to heart, did a couple did a quick maths on my side, looking at the team, looking at my options. My one-one is clear. It's it's the guy, Harry Kane. Harry Kane is my 1-1. He I picked England in our group previews to win it all. So why not ride their best player? He scores a lot, he gets involved in the attack. He hopefully will be playing much longer than some of these other guys. So my 1-1 is Sir Harold Kane.

SPEAKER_01 38:15

Yeah, so there's definitely a blend of strategy here. So you want to take guys from teams that you think are going to succeed because as the points multiply in the later rounds, you want guys that are still alive and playing. It goes without saying England is a tier one team, so Harry's points will count for single, but he is the focal point of their attack. He is on the end of most goals, and if he's not, he's usually assisting them. So yeah, I figured you were gonna go him or one other person. So it's not exactly a surprise, but it's a good pick. He was high up on my big board. My first overall choice, though, is actually a tier two player. And I wanted to take a guy who I believe in this team a little more than when I did their preview. They're tabbed as a dark horse team. I think they're gonna make a little bit of a run. I'm a big Norway guy now, and I would like Erling Holland leading my line. So his points will count for double as a tier two player. It's undecided who I'm gonna give the R band to when Erling, you are in the uh Sean, excellent pick.

SPEAKER_02 39:15

Very high on my big board. Probably would have been my second pick. So yeah, kudos to you.

SPEAKER_01 39:22

I'm glad to have him. I tick off one of the two tier two players I have to select. You could go over two per tier, but the minimum you have to draft is two per tier. Now it gets interesting for me because Harry and Erling were the first two for sure for me. So now I'm gonna go. I guess I just have to do this. It's silly not to, I guess, not to take Mr. Killian Mbappe. It seems like it seems like I should get some friend representation. He is the leader of the line, he has dominated the last two World Cups, so I'm hoping he makes it three in a row. Yeah, I mean, that's the correct choice.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

I would have been shocked if you picked anybody else. Honestly. Alright, so now back to me for two choices. Correct. Oof, alright. I think with my first choice, all right.

SPEAKER_01 40:13

I'll tell you what, Brandon, the pressure of being in this war room, you haven't been on the Tortured Fans draft yet. There, there it makes people act in funny ways. You start seeing bread and butter as an appetizer or baked potato at a cookout, you know?

SPEAKER_02 40:26

So it just make sure you keep your poise about you. No, shout out to the to my friends on football guys. I feel your pain now. So I know I clown some of you for your draft picks, but I'm in I'm in the same boat as you. Uh, I think for my number two, round two pick, I am going to go with a tier two team, the United States. I'm gonna take Christian Pulisic. I think good player, good player. So much of what the US does goes through him. And for me, it's hard to see that changing, to be honest. So uh I think the US hopefully makes a deep run and they'll be playing for a while. The second choice I have. Oh, all right, you know what? Let's do it. Tier one team. Not probably not the guy you'd think I would take on this team, but I think he is poised to have a big summer. Just came off of a pretty big club season. I am gonna take Bruno Fernandez of Portugal.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

It's a great pick. It's a really, really good pick. I'm a big fan of this Portuguese team, as we talked about during the previews. I think they're poised for a run, and he is the leader for them. He pulls all the strings, he gets assists, he scores goals. That's certainly a good pick. And the team I think has some real staying power in the top. Of course, he is a tier one player. I'm up for two, and boy, oh boy, there's so many different directions you could go. I think I'm just gonna draft vibes, guys, Brandon. I think I just want vibes. And with that being said, I think I have to take a Brazilian. Now, which Brazilian is the million-dollar question. I believe I'm gonna take Rafinha. I think he is going to be the one on penalties instead of a certain number seven who mustn't be named. And he's he's definitely the one on set pieces, especially on the right side of the pitch. I trust him a little bit more, is what I would say. I hope he's on penalties too. I hope, I hope that guy doesn't steal the ball. But I will I will take Rafinha with my first of this, the these two picks. And with my second, I'm gonna this might be dumb. You might not have had this guy anywhere near your radar, but I'm gonna dip my foot into the tier four pool. No, don't do it, Sean. And I'm gonna take a guy from a preview you did. No, don't do it. Come on. I'm gonna take Antoine Seneca. Yep, that's right. There's a reason I'm good at these drafts, Brandon. It requires scouting the opponent. You gotta scout the board, scout the opponent. I'm happy to have Antoine. Just give me two bowls in the group stage, Antoine.

SPEAKER_02 43:08

That would be more than enough. Sean, well done. Well done. He was extremely high and probably would have been my next pick. So kudos to you. I think I'm up for two now, and like you said, it's time to it's time to dance a little bit. So let's have some fun. I think I'm gonna stick in tier four since you already took my number one pick in tier four. My number two guy that I want in tier four that is gonna come to my team. New Zealand's best Chris Wood. You got me right back. He got me right back. In absolute dog in the air. This man poaches goals. New Zealand, I don't think, are automatically gonna be a three and out team. They could sneak into another round. Another round means another game, another chance to score some more goals. Chris Wood, welcome to. Team Brandon.

SPEAKER_01 44:01

Yeah, I like Chris Wood a whole lot because I don't think their group is that strong either. So I really do think there's a chance they could sneak a result, maybe a win, and get out. I think that's good value. Brandon, full disclosure, my big board in tier four was Semaneo Wood. So one, two, and tier four are off the board.

SPEAKER_02 44:19

We're in the same same boat, so I'm glad we well, maybe I'm glad, but uh maybe not. All right. My second choice. You know what? Yeah, like you're a vibes guy. I'm a vibes guy as well, but I think I got a little bit of extra juice in me tonight. So I am going to take a tier two player from Uruguay. I'm going to take Fetty Valverde. Feddy Valverde.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

Yeah. Yep. Good player. And I'm I'm high on this Uruguay side after learning a little bit more. Obviously a big Marcello Bielsa guy. I think Bielsa ball's here to stay in this tournament, so I think that's a strong selection. Thank you. It's me, right? You made both. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 45:04

Yeah, I took Chris Wood, but the first one.

SPEAKER_01 45:06

Okay, so I'm gonna do it. I said I'm here to have fun. This is a long-term play. I'm hoping it builds into this tournament. Injured right now, working his way back. I'm taking La Miña Mall. I mean, he's he's the number one storyline at this World Cup. I gotta have some Spanish representation. And like I said, we're here to have fun. Let me let me in the dream, baby.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

Sean, he was on my uh the uh you know the NBA stock draft and somebody gets hurt and they just dip all the way down. He was kind of a break glass in case of emergency kind of pick. So I did not have him that high. But if he turns out to be healthy and plays and he's at full fitness, that's an elite pick, especially to get this late in the draft. So kudos to you.

SPEAKER_01 45:52

It it is risky. I am worried about the fitness for sure, and that's why I think, like you said, he fell to this point. I'm just trusting, I think there's been some more encouraging news on that front that it does seem like it he's healthy, it's just they're going to ease him back into it. He didn't play in their most recent friendly, but the manager brought both him and Nico Williams, who are both injured for Spain, and they're both dealing with hamstrings, but I think the vibe around the camp is they seem to be confident, at least, that Lamine is available in the group stage if they need him. I'm just not so sure they're gonna need him. So, like I said, I'm hoping that's a long-term play. I hope he just dominates the knockout rounds. My second pick on the wraparound here is going to be a guy from tier three. I want to dip my toe in tier three, and I'm between a few. I think there's actually some pretty good options in tier three, but I agree. But Brandon, I I told you when I did the preview, I'm a rider for Les Alifons, and I have to have some representation for Cote d'Ivoie. I'm gonna take the phenom, Jan Diamante. I'm gonna take another another young guy. He hasn't scored or assisted much for the Ivory Coast, this is kind of a projection, but we're here for vibes, we're here for fun. I'm hoping for a breakout summer. He's gonna move for $100 million this summer. I can only hope he scores a few goals in the World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 47:15

It's a great choice, Sean. He was on my on my board making me think about some things over here.

SPEAKER_01 47:21

Good. That's what I like.

SPEAKER_02 47:22

Hey, no, it's all good, it's all good. We're we're making it work. I think now with my seven and eight picks, I am going to take first another tier three athlete. I am going to go to the country that spans two continents, Turkey, and I will take Artagoulair. Yeah. I think the way he plays in the midfield is really gonna give him some options to both score and assist. I also think that that he's in that USA group that's a little wonky. I think they could easily get through as a second place team in this group. So hopefully he's playing some knockout football. He plays an opponent that's not too strong. I think he can get me some points. It's a decent value pick for the squad.

SPEAKER_01 48:10

Yeah, that's that's certainly a good pick. He was on my board. I do have another Turkish player next to him that I had in case. I thought they were pretty equal, but I would have preferred Goulair. So we're we're fishing in the same pond for sure.

SPEAKER_02 48:23

Okay. And my second choice, and I can go so many different ways here.

SPEAKER_01 48:30

I love the strategy involved in this.

SPEAKER_02 48:32

Yeah, it's fantastic. I am gonna go to get this guy this late and him still be on the board, I have to scoop it. It's Leonel Messi. I mean, yeah, possibly the greatest ever to kick a soccer ball. Probably not gonna be the full focal point of the Argentinian attack, but free kicks, penalty kicks, the run of play, he's gonna get a couple of assists. I have I can't I can't let him sit in on the round. I'm sorry, Sean. So I had to take Lee not messy.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

I was banking on you leaving him E because it didn't seem like you liked the Argentinians last episode, so I was like, oh, I can get him later, but he pulled the rug out from under me there. Boy, okay. So I'm gonna boy, there's so many good players in this tournament, and the one per country makes it a real it's a real challenge. I really feel like tier two has some strong players in it. I I I'm gonna wait a little longer on tier two. I'm gonna go back. I'm gonna go to tier one again, and I'm gonna take a guy from a team I think could make some noise in this tournament, and they're gonna have a lot of fan support. I will take Luis Diaz from Colombia.

SPEAKER_02 49:51

It's a good choice, Sean. He was low on my big board, but definitely somebody who I had on the radar.

SPEAKER_01 49:58

So what's funny is he was all on mine too. I had some like I had a few other guys before him, but his name was popping for me there. Okay. And then I could wait a bit, I think, and get a similar player, but I'm expecting big things from this group at the World Cup, so I'll go ahead and take Jeremy Doku. Who's an electric winger in tier one at Belgium plays for Manchester City? He creates a lot more than he gets on the end of things, but I think for Belgium he's able to score a few goals in this tournament and provide several assists. That's a great choice.

SPEAKER_02 50:36

He was probably gonna go in the next round to team, so kudos to you. Alright. I am feeling a little wild still. I'm between two guys, we have four picks left, two of which I have kind of already locked up because you took players from those countries, so that they they'll be pick 11 and 12. I still need I have to pick in this round a tier three and a tier four. So my first pick, I'll take the tier four guy because let's just get them out of the way. I am gonna take Almoez Ali. He is Qatar's all-time leading scorer, and he has six 60 goals in 126 appearances. That's a pretty good record. I don't expect much out of Qatar in this World Cup, but you took my number one pick in this tier, so I had to pick another one. And I will take Al Moez Ali.

SPEAKER_01 51:38

I thankfully the tier four, it feels like, aside from the first two, there's like so many different directions you could go, so I didn't have him on my board, but I was flinching, getting ready for you to steal the other guy half of my tier four board, so I'm glad you didn't go that way. Oh, jeez. I missed him. All right. No, I don't know if it's a miss. I think it might be a miss for me, but I just didn't have another name ready, so I just am glad from that aspect.

SPEAKER_02 51:59

Fair enough, fair enough. The other tier. I'm sorry. Yeah, I need one more tier three choice for the mandatory rule. All right. You know what? I'm just gonna do it. I'll take him. He's a host, host player, host country. I'd expect them to make it out of the group stage. I'm not sure how far they'll go, but I'll I will take Canada's Jonathan David with my choice.

SPEAKER_01 52:23

He was on my tier three list. I I like that pick. Their group's stinky. He scores goals for them.

SPEAKER_02 52:30

Yeah, my team will not you your team is vibes, and you'll probably play that beautiful football, tiki taka, you know, make the extra pass. Sean, my team will be getting on headers. We'll be diving. We will happy. We'll be scoring with the bottom of our cleat. We do not care as long as the ball goes in the net. So you got a little bit of style and pizzazz. I just want results.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

That's that's how Brandon. There's a there's a term in golf. The scorecard doesn't have photos. It doesn't matter how you get there. Whatever you're putting on that sheet is all that matters. I respect that. I have four picks left. I have to take a tier two, a tier three, and a tier four. So really, I only have one free hitter left. So I'm gonna try to take care of some business in tiers two and three here. In tier two, I am going to take Haul Jimenez. Raul Jimenez, the Mexican striker. Again, I like their group. I think it's favorable. I like that they're playing at home. I certainly think they make it out. He is on penalties, he's leading the line for them. Tier two, I'm I'm pretty happy with Jimenez at this point, even if I'm not rooting for the Mexicans.

SPEAKER_02 53:37

Fair choice. That's a I mean, that talk about value pick this late. That's that's a great one. He'll he'll get results. We've seen it at Wolves, we've seen it with the Mexican national team. He'll he's a guy. I mean, he has uh he wears the thing on his head because he's gotten injured so many times. So, you know, true. He'll get these balls. He's not gonna be he's not a Sean Boyle S. No, he's not.

SPEAKER_01 53:58

But you need like you said roll around in the mud.

SPEAKER_02 54:00

There's no there's no photos on the scorecard. So hey, do whatever you gotta do, Sean.

SPEAKER_01 54:06

By the way, listeners, you're going to hear me use certain expressions. I'm gonna beat him to death. Roll around in the mud is one of my favorites when we're talking about ugly football. I'm gonna take a tier three player, and I can't say that there's a ton of tier three players that are not roll around in the mud, guys, but I like watching this guy play. A lot of you think Egypt, you think of a certain someone. Not for me. I'm zagging. I'm taking Omar Marmoush. I think he's currently the best striker in the Egyptian squad. I think he has a big tournament. I think Egypt have a decent chance to make it out of an ugly group by playing some counter-attacking football and just bunkering in. So give me Omar Marmoush from tier three.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

Absolutely fantastic pick, Sean.

SPEAKER_01 54:51

Thank you. I'm glad Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:53

I mean, that's just just my opinion. But I I agree. I think a couple points. I think I think I might have left left him on the board. I was between him and Jonathan David. I went Jonathan David, the hometown hero. Might regret that later, but hey.

SPEAKER_01 55:08

I'll put my hand up if I'm wrong. I had David on that list as well. I was just kind of picking in the moment based on some vibes. So I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. All right. So you have your final two picks here, correct? Or do you have final two here?

SPEAKER_02 55:22

These are both going to be tier one players because Sean took players from their teams already, so he is ineligible to use them again. I am going to take with my choice, Vinetius Jr. from Brazil.

SPEAKER_01 55:36

Yeah, taking Rafini in the third round just allowed you to take a Brazilian forward of your choosing in the last couple. So maybe an error or a blunder by me.

SPEAKER_02 55:45

No, it's it's the strategy of the draft. I mean, it's gonna happen. Guys are gonna be left open.

SPEAKER_01 55:49

He was the guy I was alluding to. I hope he, I hope he's not on penalties. Rafini better on penalties than you.

SPEAKER_02 55:54

I hope he takes every single penalty kick. But my final choice of this draft, and it is wild that he's the last last pick over my team, but because of the mechanics of the draft, it ended up this way. Probably could have been a second or third pick. I'm gonna take Ousmane Dembele from France. Uh Sean got Mbappe. Definitely the top choice from France, but getting Usman Dembele this late, I couldn't let him sit on the board. So Usman Dembele, welcome to Team Brandon.

SPEAKER_01 56:24

Yep, I completely like when I took Mbappe, that was why I had some hesitation. It was because I would have been happy with any of the French frontline. I had Dembele and Olysse on my board. I was content with any of them. I reached for Mbappe because I usually don't typically draft Killian Mbappe and things like this. I for some reason I try to zag a little bit when everybody's going in one direction, which doesn't usually work out. My final two picks, I need a tier four player and a tier one player. I well, actually, I just need a tier four player, and then I could take a tier one player. I will get the tier four player out of the way. I will take Wilson Isidore. He is the Haitian striker, number 10. Plays at Sunderland in the Premier League. A recent, a recent switch to Haitian nationality. I'm hoping for some good vibes from Haiti in this group. Maybe he scores a goal or two in the group stage. I don't really have illusions of them getting out of the group, but that's just one. I liked doing the Haiti preview. I'm hoping for some good vibes from him in the group stage. And then lastly, my last pick, because you took Messi, I have to have some Argentinian representation. I will take Julian Alvarez, who I think is the straw that stirs the drink for this Argentinian side. He is now in the prime of his career. He was a young player at the last World Cup, was really good in it, and now his role is a lot more advanced than it was in that. And I think the steps he's made at club level, he was great at Manchester City. He's been unbelievable at Atletico Madrid. I think he's gonna have a really big tournament. So Brandon, you have all 12 players? All 12 players, yep. Alright. So the draft is concluded. Once again, the reminder on the rules. We are captaining one. So Brandon, start thinking about who you're gonna captain, because we have to get that to the listeners as well. The standard points are two points for a goal, one point for an assist. They multiply by what tier the player is from, and then they multiply as the rounds advance. So goals later in the tournament will mean more. If you could get a tier three team that makes a run and your strikers bag in goals, that's the money spot there. So we'll see. We'll keep you up to date with some graphics as the tournament progresses. I'm happy with my selections, but I'm having a hard time deciding who to put the armband around because this isn't something we can change. We kind of have to lock this in.

SPEAKER_02 58:51

I went with my gut, I feel it, and I have my captain locked in. But yeah, this this is a fun draft, Sean. I think I think it'll be interesting to see as we get later in the rounds who stays around. You get a guy from your tier three or tier four team into that 32-16 round. And like you said, they they score a goal there. It's a lot, it can really change things. So this'll this will be a real fun thing for us to track this summer.

SPEAKER_01 59:17

Brandon, I I I don't want to spoil it, but I think I have a guess as to who your striker or who your captain is. Do you want to share?

SPEAKER_02 59:23

Yes, it is the one and only, the captain of his team. So why not be the captain of my team, Mr. Harold Kane?

SPEAKER_01 59:31

H. I re yeah. It's a safe, safe, good captain. You're really not gonna there's not a single bone to pick. Even me who's not super high on the English team this year, they're going to be in the quarterfinals, and Harry Kane's going to score goals. And I don't know that I have a single player that I could definitely say that about, so that's a good thing for you. I really want to get wild with who my captain is, but I shouldn't. I should really just keep it.

SPEAKER_02 59:58

Come on, have a little fun, Sean.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:00

Oh, don't encourage me because you don't do it. Go a little tier two.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:03

Put it put a tier two guy as your captain.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:06

My first pick was a tier two guy, so I could put it around Big Erling, but I don't know. Norway's group's not easy. I'll put it around Killian Mbappe. I I want to have don't boot me, you Captain Terry Kane, the most vanilla guy in the world. I I think Killian is the safe pick for me. The French team's loaded. He'll he'll score goals. I hope he scores a ton of goals, but and preferably Killian. Let's save him for the later rounds if we're gonna save him. But I'm happy with how the draft played out, Brandon. I thought this was fun. Elsewhere coming out this week, we're gonna do another show before the games kick off, but we have some fun stuff planned for that one. I think the vibes are good. We're officially in World Cup week. I mean, you can't ask for much more.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:54

It feels great, Sean. It it's been four years of us talking about this World Cup and coming to the US and what cities are they gonna play in and what's the schedule gonna look like? And now for it to be here and we're four or five days away from kicking off, it's it's incredible. So apologies to our managers, our bosses, because end of day work will just that product productivity is just going down the drain.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:23

So yeah, summer Fridays is every every day starting at three.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:27

Yes, every day is a summer Friday for the next month and a half. Sean, it's it's gonna be a lot of fun. I'm excited for our what we have for the viewers coming up this week as well. But this draft, I just want to say I'm very proud of the team I got. I think I may be missing one player that I really wanted, and that was Semenyo from Ghana. But outside of that, I really got who I wanted. So uh I don't know if that says a lot about me or about you, but there's a lot of I think with the strategy and with the points and the math behind it, there's a lot, a lot of strategy and things that go into this. So I think we both got who we wanted, and it'll be cool to see which of our strategies kind of works out in the end.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:08

Yeah, and I would encourage the listeners too, get involved, do something like this with your friends, even if it's not player-based, do something with the countries, pull countries out of a hat, figure out a way to get invested in some of these teams. There's a lot of good stuff on the horizon. We will come to you again with another episode before the games officially begin. We will be previewing all the games, so we have that to look forward to. Brandon, this was a pleasure, a ton of fun. Thank you as always for joining.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:32

Thank you for having me, Sean. Uh, it's been it's been a great, great draft, great episode, and excited for the next one.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:42

That's right. I think that's all we got. So, listeners, be on the lookout. We'll have the graphic out with our teams in the next couple of days. We have a lot more to get to this week as the games begin. We'll be with you every step of the way throughout this tournament. So, from us over here at the Friends on Football, we appreciate you tuning in. And until next time, take care.