The World Cup Preview

Life and How to Live It Podcast with Dr. Rocco Episode: Previewing the 2026 Men's World Cup

In this episode, I'm joined by two of my dear friends — co-host Pete Logides and soccer expert Tim Ruth — to preview the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. This is the biggest sporting event on the planet. The 2022 World Cup was watched by roughly five billion people worldwide, with 1.5 billion tuning in for the final alone. And this time, the tournament is coming to us — hosted right here in North America, across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Why This World Cup Is Special

This is the most geographically spread-out World Cup in history, spanning an entire continent. It's also the largest ever in terms of participating teams, with 48 nations competing for the title. Four countries are making their World Cup debut this year: Cape Verde Islands, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. For those nations, this moment can galvanize an entire country. I think about what it felt like when the US first started qualifying — it was a huge deal — and for these first-timers, it must feel even bigger.

How We Fell in Love with the Beautiful Game

Before diving into the tournament itself, the three of us shared how we each came to love soccer.

Tim played in grade school, then drifted away to baseball and cross country, but came back to the game in a meaningful way about 20 years ago. What drew him back was soccer's identity as a true team sport. In so many other sports, one transcendent player — a LeBron, a top-tier quarterback — can carry a team alone. Soccer remains beautifully collective in a way that few other sports do.

Pete was a goalkeeper on his grade school team — a team that never won a game, he proudly admits — and made his high school squad all four years. He grew up watching English soccer and the Bundesliga on Saturday mornings on PBS Channel 13, and became a devoted fan of the New York Cosmos in the old NASL. He'll never forget listening to Cosmos games on the radio with his dad, writing down the scores by hand, and watching Pelé play at Yankee Stadium.

For me, soccer was woven into my life from the very beginning. As an Italian kid, I grew up watching games with my grandfather on the tiny TV in his house, tuned to the Italian RAI network every Sunday after our family meal. I played in high school alongside Pete, and I've been a devoted AS Roma fan ever since. When I was at the University of Virginia, many of the US Men's National Team players — and even coach Bruce Arena — came from UVA, so I always felt a special personal connection to the national team.

The Legends Playing Their Last World Cup

This tournament carries a bittersweet quality for those of us who have grown up watching some of the greatest players in history. Three absolute legends are likely playing in their final World Cup:

• Cristiano Ronaldo — Playing in his sixth World Cup. Six. The man is still performing at a high level, and Portugal has a strong squad, so we may see a lot of him before it's over.
• Lionel Messi — My absolute favorite player ever. When I first discovered him at Barcelona, I genuinely wanted to quit my job and move there just to watch him every week. To me, he is the most revolutionary soccer player I've ever seen — the artistry, the creativity, the fluid motion. Like Allen Iverson in basketball, he's the little guy who gets around everyone and makes it look like silk.
• Luka Modric — The Croatian midfielder who almost single-handedly willed his team to the final in 2018 and may have won more trophies than any player alive. He is 40 years old and still completely dominating at AC Milan. Remarkable.

On the eternal Messi vs. Ronaldo debate, all three of us land on Messi — for his control of the run of play, his ability to dominate a game even without the ball, and that ineffable artistry. Though we give Ronaldo enormous credit, particularly on set pieces and in the air.

The Exciting New Generation

We are also witnessing the rise of an incredible new wave of talent. Kylian Mbappé, at just 27 years old, already has 12 World Cup goals. The all-time record is believed to be 16, held by Miroslav Klose. If Mbappé stays healthy and plays in several more World Cups, he could set a record that stands for generations.

The Negatives: What's Bringing This Cup Down

As excited as we are, we had to be honest about real frustrations:

Ticket prices are outrageous. I was certain I would attend at least one game — just as I did at the Meadowlands during the 1994 World Cup. After looking at actual prices, I changed my mind. FIFA has a poor track record of prioritizing fans over profits, and this tournament is no different. Parking near MetLife Stadium is $250. The train from New York to the Meadowlands — normally $12 — will run $150 for World Cup games. Ride-share drop-off is a mile walk from the stadium. It's all about money, and it leaves a genuine bad taste.

Lack of hype is also a concern. Recording this in late April with the tournament beginning in June, I'd expect far more buzz. Instead, sports media is dominated by the NFL Draft, NBA Playoffs, baseball, and the NHL. The US has never been a soccer-first country, and if the national team struggles early, that hype may never fully arrive. The good news: once the ball drops, great soccer has a way of pulling everyone in — as we saw even with the controversial Qatar 2022 tournament, which produced one of the greatest World Cup finals ever played.

The US Men's National Team

Tim, our resident USMNT expert, gave us his honest assessment. The team has real strengths — a legitimate goal scorer in Balogun, strong wingers, a solid midfield, and quality fullbacks. But three things need to happen for them to go deep:

1. Play together. The team lacks cohesion. Our players are scattered across clubs worldwide and don't have the natural familiarity that France, Spain, and Germany benefit from.
2. Tighten the central defense. The US has been conceding the same types of goals since 2022 — balls played back to the top of the box where trailing midfielders finish easily. That has to stop.
3. Christian Pulisic has to elevate. He's our best player, and as of late April, he hasn't been at his best. If he steps up and leads, we can surprise people. If he doesn't, the ceiling drops significantly.

Our Predictions

Who wins the World Cup? Pete: France | Dr. Rocco: Argentina (repeating) | Tim: Spain

How far does the US go? Pete: Quarterfinals | Dr. Rocco: Round of 16 | Tim: Quarterfinals

Dark horses: Pete: Norway | Tim: Japan

Dr. Rocco's Recs

If you're traveling internationally, consider going to a soccer game. Whether you find yourself in Italy, England, Germany, or anywhere football is religion, buying a ticket and sitting in those stands is an unforgettable cultural experience. I've been to games in Newcastle, England and in Rome, and both rank among my most memorable travel moments. The songs, the chants, the passion — it is something passed down from generation to generation, and for 90 minutes, you get to be part of it.

One More Thing

Did you know that Uruguay is the smallest country ever to win the World Cup? With a current population of just 3.4 million people — roughly the size of a mid-sized American city — Uruguay has won it twice: first in 1930, when they hosted the inaugural tournament, and again in 1950. Small but mighty.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Do you sometimes feel like life is passing you by? How would you like to get more out of life? We explore all things life on this podcast. Welcome to Life and How to Live It Podcast with Dr. Rocco. Welcome to another episode of the Life and How to Live It podcast with me, Dr. Rocco. In today's episode, we are previewing the 2026 Men's World Cup Soccer Tournament. Now, this is the biggest sporting event in the world. The last World Cup held in 2022 was watched by about 5 billion people, and the final game between France and Argentina was watched by 1.5 billion people worldwide. So it's a big deal. And it's coming here. The United States is hosting the World Cup along with Canada and Mexico. So the entire continent is getting in on the party. So with this being a continent-wide World Cup, it is the largest World Cup in terms of geographical distribution that's ever happened. And not only that, but it is the World Cup that has the most teams that have ever played in a World Cup, with 48 teams competing this year to become world champion. So it's a big deal, it's a big tournament. It's so big that I needed two people to help me talk about it today. And so I am joined by my co-host, Pete Logitis, and our dear friend Tim Ruth. Guys, welcome to the show. Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Rec. Great to see you again.

SPEAKER_03 1:59

Yes, great to have you here talking about something we love so much, soccer. And um, before we start talking about the World Cup itself, I thought it would be fun to spend a minute or two talking about how each of us came to love the beautiful game. So, Tim, let's start with you.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Yeah, sure. So, you know, I played, uh I played uh in uh grade school um and enjoyed it. Um and then after a period of time, I focused on some other focused on baseball. I did cross country, I didn't think about it as much. And and really for a period of time, I I wasn't as into it or as involved in it. And um that changed probably about like 20 years ago or so. I mean, I followed the team even before that, but I really started getting into it more, you know, as you got closer to middle age. And the reason I did, I think, um, and you guys talked about how that connection with sports, you talked about that in another. I I agree with that. It's because I got kind of jaded maybe a little bit with some of the other sports. You know, um, there was too much individuality in some of the other sports. So, you know, you isolate LeBron James and he basically, you know, just plays a game against his other team, or you have in football, a sim, you know, American football, uh, you know, the quarterback, the best quarterbacks tend to be the teams that win. And so one of the things that I really enjoy about soccer is that it's a really one of those uh sports where it's remained a team game. You have to be a real, and I enjoyed that. And then I slowly got into the US team. Um, it was easy to be into them because they were a team that really played together and fought hard, even though they had very little to no talent, relatively speaking. So um it was those, it was a combination of those things, I think, that really got me back into it. Whereas I know you guys had actually played in high school for you know for quite a while.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

Yeah, yeah. And and you know, we have you on because we love you, Tim, but also but also because you are the resident expert in the U.S. men's national team. So we'll be talking about that a little more later. Um, Pete, how about you? How'd you get into soccer? Yeah, I feel like I'm just on this one for looks.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

So uh I get it.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

It's good thing it's audio.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Uh come on, he looks good. He looks good. You're just jealous, he looks good.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

Anyway, go ahead. Thanks, buddy. Um, you know, like you guys, I I go way back uh with soccer. I played in grade school, you know. I I was uh a goalie in our grade school team, and I do remember we never won a game. Um but I just absolutely love the sport. I played sporadically, but at least I I'm always proud that I made our high school team for all four years, which was you know, a great sense of pride. I love the game. Um so being a part of it on the school level was was very exciting. It's also I you gotta remember when we grew up, right? So uh my first memories of of really watching soccer, and I don't know if you guys had the same thing. Um I used to watch it on Sierra Day mornings on um PBS. Remember channel 13 PBS, and they would show taped games of um it was in the British uh league at that time, but English soccer and also uh Bundesliga soccer on Saturday mornings. Yeah, soccer made in Germany.

SPEAKER_03 5:51

Right, right, I remember that too.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Yeah, great, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

No, so that that got me really started, and then you know, because we were sports freaks, I was a huge fan of the New York Cosmos. Okay, um, and the old NASL, remember that? Of course. Um I went to quite a few games with uh another friend outside of our group here. Um and I'll never forget, you know, seeing Pele at Yankee Stadium. You know, I really think the first time I was ever at Yankee Stadium was for a Cosmos game.

SPEAKER_03 6:25

Oh, that's ironic, huh?

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Right? Yeah. Um and then I I used to, and this is you know, this goes back to, you know, when we talked about you know um family. I used to sit in the kitchen and listen to Cosmos games with my dad. And I used to write down who scored and how you know, because it's a radio, right? We didn't have any way to to keep track. I used to write down you know who scored and what the score was and and stuff like that. And you know, I'll I'll never forget that. I think it was I could be wrong, but I think there was one game where uh Giorgio Canalia had seven goals in a game. Wow. We could we can look it up after this, and when it was four, then that's okay. Um but you know what I mean? It was just it was just you know, I it was something that I loved. I love playing it, and I really love following it. So it is it is you know something that started early and has continued.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Yeah, for me it started early as well, you know. Being an Italian kid, uh my uh grandfather used to watch it all the time. Uh so he he had this tiny TV in his house, really bad reception, and he had the Italian channel, the Rye, R-A-I network. And every Sunday, you know, we'd go over there and have, you know, the classic Italian Sunday meal with the grandparents, and he would have the soccer game playing. Um so you know, I started really young with it. Um, I played in high school with with Pete. Uh, that was that was a lot of fun. Uh, and I just I just stuck with it as a fan throughout my my life, really. You know, I've been a fan of the Italian Soccer League, uh, the AS Roma team uh for many, many years. And I've had the, you know, that's a way that I can connect well with my um uncle who lives in Italy. So for me, soccer's just been a part of my life right from the start. And and I fell in love with the U.S. team um when I was in college because I was at the University of Virginia, and a lot of our players, you know, a lot of the US team were guys from UVA. So that was kind of cool. I had I felt like an inside connection with the national team, including the coach uh Bruce Arena, was the Virginia coach. So yeah, yeah. So let's let's talk about the actual World Cup. You know, so that this is a special World Cup uh in in some ways. Uh, first of all, because they expanded to 48 teams, there are four teams that are playing in the World Cup for the first time ever. And that is Cape Verde Islands, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. So that's pretty amazing. Like to be in a World Cup for those countries, I think is probably maybe something that is going to galvanize the whole country for a whole month, or at least for as long as they are in it until they get eliminated. So, what do you think about that? The expansion of the um the cup to 48 teams.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Well, I mean, there is a guy in my office who's Uzbek, right? And so uh, yeah, Alex Mellon. And he's uh he's pumped because um they're in the World Cup, and not only that, but there's an Uzbek guy who won the chess candidates tournament and might actually become world champion. Wow. So, you know, for for them, it's a really exciting year. I think they were really thrilled to make the World Cup. Um, you know, and I think that they will, I mean, there's not a lot of people from Uzbekistan and the United States, but um, I do think that they'll have a lot of support. There, I believe, I may be wrong about this, but I think they're playing some of their games in Mexico. So I'm I'm I'm not sure about that, but I think that's the case. But I know that for those countries, I've been to Curacao, for example. I know they have that real like unity around them. When I was down there, they were really into Andrew Jones. And you remember the guy who's now going into the Hall of Fame this year. Sure. Um, and baseball for baseball. Yeah. So so you know, I think there's gonna be a lot of unity behind those teams, and there'll be a lot of uh excitement in those countries. Uh, you know, I remember when the US like it first started making it, it was like a big deal. Remember that in 1990, it was huge. So I can't imagine that those countries, even more so, will be excited about it.

SPEAKER_03 11:01

Yeah, definitely even more so because you know, our country has never been a big soccer country. Right. It's you know, there is there's always been like a cult following and it's growing, but for a country like uh Curacao or Jordan, you know, Cape Verde, I mean, I actually would I would love to go and watch a game in Curacao and just sit in a bar there. I think that would be more fun than anything trying to get into a stadium here, you know? Yeah. So um, you know, one the thing for me, this particular World Cup is very it's gonna be bittersweet. Uh, I think it's very special. It's bittersweet because three absolute legends are going to be playing in their last World Cup. You can never say never. I mean, you know, it could, you know, someone may play again, but it's unlikely. So Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be playing in his sixth World Cup. Wow. Which is amazing. This is completely amazing, and you gotta think that's his last World Cup, right? But yeah, so and Portugal has they have a good team, so they could go pretty far in the tournament. So hopefully we'll get to see a lot of him, you know, in his last go-round. Um, and then there's my absolute favorite player ever, Lionel Messi. I mean, I remember when he first started playing at Barcelona and I start I discovered him. I I wanted to like quit my job and move and live in Barcelona so I could watch him every week. Yeah, I still feel that way. This guy is to me the most revolutionary soccer player I've ever seen. What do you guys think? Are you that's always been the debate? Cristiano Ronaldo versus Messi. Who's the best?

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Well, I would go with Messi just because of his ability in the run of play, you know. I mean, uh, you know, uh, I think you you know Ronaldo's ability on free kicks and his ability in, you know, set pieces, and and don't get me wrong, he's an incredible player. What has he scored, like 900 goals this week or something like that? Yep. Um, so you know, obviously he's he's a a great guy, but I would I would have to go that way because of just the the the style of play difference between the two of them. But I'd interested, Pete, what you think.

SPEAKER_02 13:32

Oh, I agree with you. Uh you know, especially, you know, I was thinking of the the set pieces, I was thinking of the big goals from Ronaldo, but just the controlling a play of Messi, no matter where he plays, no matter what team, he just controls the game. You know, you you cannot keep him out of your sight for any moment. Um he's a player who you just watch even if he doesn't have the ball. You know, he's just beautiful to watch.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

Yeah, yeah, and I just um you know the thing that I love, you know, one of the things I love about soccer is how it's uh it's it it it gives the potential for artistry, you know, for creativity. And for to me, nobody's ever done that more than Messi. And and so that's what I love about him. Um although Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the like maybe the best ever on set pieces, or definitely hitting headers. My goodness. So an incredible athlete. But to me, I I like the the kind of the the kind of like fluid motion that he that Messi brings to the game. Uh kind of the way my favorite basketball player ever was Alan Iverson. You know, I love that kind of little guy that can just kind of like get around and be just smooth as silk. So yeah. And so and the other legend who is going to be playing in his last World Cup is Luka Modric, uh, midfielder for um Croatia, who I I may be wrong, but I think that he may have won more trophies than anybody. It's it's but uh it's possible. I'm not certain of that. It's either here messy. Between all the different like trophies he won at uh Real Madrid over the years, he is uh I think uh you know underrated uh because he doesn't score as many goals, but that man is in the center of the field controlling the game, and he's 40 years old and can completely dominating his AC Milan team this year.

SPEAKER_02 15:48

And you know what? I mean, what you just mentioned with those three, right? And first of all, we were so fortunate to see their career during our time, you know. But to be playing at such a level at that age, and after you know how physical the sport is, you know, not only on the pitch, but also travel and everything else. But to be playing at that level at this time is is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Yeah, I mean, Modric, I mean, he kind of willed the Croatian team to get to the final in 2018. I mean, he was I I watched the Argentina Croatia game. You would never think that Messi was the best player, you would say it was Luca Modric in that particular game. Yeah, so yeah, you're right, Pete. We've been fortunate to see these great players and some new ones too, right? I mean, you know, and and not even, you know, I'm not even talking about the Yamals and people like that that are 17, 18. I was just looking up the other day. Killian Mbappe already has 12 World Cup goals. Okay. Wow. And he's 27. Okay. So, you know, he's gonna, I think the record is 16, if I'm not sub Miroslav Klosa, I believe. So I he's gonna be uh he might set a record for forever because he could play another three or four. If he plays to these guys' ages, he'll have to play like you know, four or five more, you know. So it's it's it's it's great to be able to see these amazing players.

SPEAKER_03 17:17

It is, it is really great, and we've never been able to see them more than we do now. I mean, I remember Tim, I remember so well being at your mother's house back in I don't know what year it was, I would say it was some like maybe the 1986 World Cup. Um, and watching it on uh in Spanish, uh you know, with not great really picture quality and all of that. Like, I didn't even know that soccer was telecast in the English language until I was about like 25 years old, you know. I I only saw it in Spanish or in Italian, you know, and so um, but yeah, I think like we're fortunate because not only are these players have played in our time, but we've had the the you know, with the different telecasts where and and YouTube and stuff, uh we can see them play, and it's been a it's been a blessing. So I want to just say, you know, like one other thing that makes this tournament special or unique is is how spread out the tournament is all of North America, and I think that in some ways that's a good thing. Uh in other ways I think it's kind of a weakness of this particular World Cup. Um it's funny because this is the most spread out World Cup, and the one before four years ago was in Qatar, which was the most condensed World Cup. It's like basically like in one city or something.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

Right. And was that during the winter? Yes, it was, right?

SPEAKER_03 18:53

It was, it was in December. You're right. Wow. What do you guys think about uh uh having the cup spread between three host nations taking up the whole continent?

SPEAKER_01 19:03

Well, they're trying to do some things to make it a little bit less bad in the sense that a lot of the teams are playing two of their three games in the group stage in the same city, right? So they'll go and then they'll go out and then they'll come back. There are the US is doing that, they're playing LA, Seattle, LA. Um, and then there are a number of teams that are playing that way. But it's just kind of inherent in playing the tournament that you're going to play uh a lot of games in broad distances by playing in the you know the the World Cup here. Um I I am sensitive to the fact it's a little different than it was in '94 because now you have like multiple countries, so it makes even more that that way. But it's just part of the deal of playing a tournament here and playing it here in the summer.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Yeah. Uh Pete, any thoughts on the this continent-wide World Cup?

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Well, I actually, if it was alright, I was gonna ask a question. If anyone knows do you see it being an advantage for any team by doing it, by being spread out like that? I I don't think so. I mean, what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Do you you have a thought on that? I I I don't really think so. No, I mean, I think that people talk about it because it's like you know, part of the conditions and so on, and somebody's gonna have to travel 1500 miles or or what have you, and a lot of them are not used to that because they play in leagues where you know going a hundred miles is a big deal, right? Right. But um, you know, it's it's gonna be the same for most teams, it's not like one team's gonna have a big advantage over another, I don't think.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

At least that's I that's what I was thinking, but I was just wondering.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

I don't know the different cities. I don't think so, but I mean, we'll we'll see. I mean, yeah, you know, probably a younger team. If you have a younger team, maybe it's more of an advantage, right?

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Yeah, yeah, interesting. Um, for me, the perfect country to have a World Cup would be uh like a square-shaped country in Europe, like Spain or Germany or France, where it's not so big, it's not so far. If you were like you're a tourist and you want to go there for a couple of weeks, and you see a game in like, I don't know, Berlin, and then you could see a game in Munich, you know, and it's not that hard. They've got great train systems, you know. Like to me, those would be the perfect places, but um, you know, it is what it is. This this one is is the super spread out World Cup. Um so um let us talk for a minute about the negatives of this World Cup, and I'm gonna turn that one right to you, Tim, because I know you have some opinions there.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Yeah, you know, it's it's tough because unfortunately everything that people are saying about the ticket prices is true. Um, you'd like to think that there would be some cap on this so that more, you know, reasonable prices and more people could be able to attend. Um, FIFA does obviously does not have the greatest track record of spending its money appropriately. And you would have hoped that you know they might have been chastened a little bit by this, but you know, that that hasn't happened, so we're gonna have to deal with it. Um, the only good side I could say about that is that at least the games are televised for free and people can watch them. And um, you know, uh I I it it really surprises me, to be honest, guys, because I would have thought, given my fandom and everything else, that there was no way in hell that I was not going to go to at least one game. You know, I was like, I I I I would do whatever it took to go to a game. And it's funny because now I just don't feel that way. I feel like, you know, they're just using people, and it's really disappointing. And it gets to even the smallest things, like, you know, the percentage of money they make off concessions, or you know, the fact we've talked about the the train from you know New York to uh Jersey is now going to be $150 and for a $12 ticket, right? $12 ticket. Yeah, you cannot, you can't, there's limited parking, and the parking that exists is $250. So about the only way that you can get there is to go ride share. They have a lot for the ride shares to drop off in, and then you get to walk a mile to the stadium. It's you know, uh, and it yeah, and it's all about money, it's not anything else but money. That's what it's all about, and that part of it is disappointing, but I try to put that to the side and just say, let's just try and enjoy the games because we're just such big fans. Uh, it's it does put a little bad taste in your mouth, no doubt about it.

SPEAKER_03 24:22

Yeah, absolutely. I I agree with everything you just said because I am such a big fan. I remember when the 94 World Cup came, I did whatever I could to go see a game at the Meadowlands, and um, and it was uh an incredible experience. And when I heard it was coming back again, I was I was certain that I would go to a game, and then I started looking at ticket prices and thought, no, I'm not I'm not doing this, I'm gonna watch it on TV. Um so it does leave a bad taste in your mouth, you know, it really does. And I I I think about um people who may be traveling from other countries, you know, like I heard I heard some people who are Scotland fans talking about how they're gonna go to Boston to see uh Scotland play. And I'm like, well, it's not in Boston at all, it's in Foxboro, which is actually closer to Providence. So these people, you know, like if you were going to a game in another country, you would just think it was at the city where it said it is, but it's not, you know, and and to get from their hotels in Boston all the way to Foxboro, forget about it. So so yeah, there's a lot of negatives there. Pete, any thoughts on on this, the negatives of this particular cup?

SPEAKER_02 25:45

You know, what I would um want to add is we are fans. You know, we will follow it, we will love it. Um but I just haven't seen the build-up, you know, the hype that I would think you would see in other places, you know, for the World Cup. Um maybe, I mean, all the news media, sports media, everything that I see, the NFL draft coming up, you know, and and we're hosting the World Cup, you know, and and I just don't see the hype that I think that it it deserves and usually gets.

SPEAKER_03 26:24

So well, that's a good point. And I'll just say for the listeners, we are recording this episode in late April. And the cup doesn't start till June what 13th, 12th, something like that, 11th. Somewhere around there, yeah. Yeah. So it's still, you know, a couple of months away. I think there will be some hype, but ultimately that's one of my concerns is that you know the U.S. is not just a like a soccer first country like so many other countries, and there'll just never be the same amount of hype, especially if our team doesn't play very well. Right. You know. So um, but yeah, I don't know. Um the episode is releasing the the week before the World Cup, so maybe by the time the episode releases, the uh there will be a little hype around it, but we will see. Yeah, I just mentioned this thing about the um our culture not being a soccer culture. And you know, the the the upside that we have is we have such a diverse culture with so many immigrants from so many places that um there always is energy around soccer. But just the soccer or the sports fandom in general is you know, like right now, they're talking, as you said, about the NFL draft, the NBA playoffs just started, you know, baseball is going, the masters just happen. You know, there's there's a lot of stuff on the calendar for for sports fans. Hockey, let's not forget NHL playoffs is you know happening. So that's why I like to go to one of those square-shaped countries in Europe to watch a game, or maybe a bar in Curacao, you know.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Right. Well, you know, it's it's funny because, and this is a stat that's bandied around all the time, but it is true. There are more youth soccer players in the US than there are in Great Britain, than in Germany, you know. Um, and you'd think that, you know, slowly that translates into a certain amount of energy. And it has, right? There, there is more interest, I think, now than there was for the 94 World Cup, which was like totally brand new. There was no MLS, you know, it was nothing. But you're also right, Pete. It's it's the level of interest and excitement around it, you would think, would be much maybe more intense, you would expect it to be. And I think some of the things that we've talked about in terms of negatives on pricing or even polarization about how people feel about coming to the United States, um, those things have kind of taken away from it a little bit. Um, I would hope still that there would be a boost in the country to the game because of this. We'll see. We'll see how it plays out. Once they drop the first ball, they start kicking it around, it becomes a different thing. So we'll see what happens. Yeah. So absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 29:27

You know, there was a lot of controversy going into the Qatar World Cup, and all rightfully so. But once the game started happening, it was a fantastic tournament, and the final was probably the best soccer game I've ever seen. Yeah, yeah, and I would agree. Yeah. So yeah, the game, the game can save the whole the whole thing, but still the fan experience is is not going to be as good as it should be, frankly. Uh, so Tim, let's let's switch over to the U.S. men's national team. So, what are you anticipating from them?

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Well, you know, I I'm hopeful, okay. I will say that. All right. And um, we'll see how you know it ultimately plays itself out in terms of results. Um, they have the ability to go deep in this tournament. They actually do, okay. Um, we have a goal scorer and uh, you know, Balogun, like ones we haven't had in a long time. We have some very good wingers, we have a very strong midfield, we have good fullbacks. Um, we may not have a great line and goalkeeper just yet, but we have some strengths that way. So it's possible for the team to go deep and get into say a quarterfinal, or even maybe I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't say much further than that, but they could go that far. The challenge for the team has been that uh, and I'll just give you my thoughts on the team, if you will, just very quickly, um, is been that uh, you know, it's lack cohesion. Um, they haven't played together the way those teams that I was describing from early in the history have played. Um, and so if I would have to give it like three things that I would say associated with the team that will be key for it to be successful, one is they have to play together better. They just haven't played tight together. I'm hoping the camp and you know the games that they're gonna play, they're gonna play Germany, they're gonna play another game, that those things will help them play together the way that like a France or a Spain or a Germany would play. Because those countries, remember, have the benefit of not only having a very strong domestic league, it's also a disproportionate league. So there's one or two teams at the top that are really good, and then like Bayern always wins in Germany, BSG always wins in France, it's Real Madrid or Barcelona or Atletico or somebody winning in Spain. So those players all know each other, right? So they play together all the time and they have that just natural cohesion. Whereas while we have a lot of good players, they're spread out all over the place. They're not all on the same teams, or they don't play against each other all the time. So there's that problem. Um, the second problem is our central defense has to improve. Um, we've been, it was a joke online one place where somebody said the U.S. has been giving up the same goal since 2022. And I'm like, you're right. Because they would have these players come down the wings, they come in tight to the box, and then they kick the ball back to the top edge of the box, and there are trailers that come in and just score easy goals. And that happened, that's happened against us a lot. Um, and so the central defense has to tighten up, and we have to play both better from a midfield perspective and also from uh a central defense perspective. Now, there are some positives. We have Chris Richards, we have some good players, but that has to happen. And then the last thing, just really quick, because I know I've been talking a lot, is uh is Christian Polisek has to elevate his game. Okay. He's our best player. He's not playing particularly well right now as of late April. Um, but you know, I I don't think that soccer is completely, you know, I said it's a team game and it is, but you also have to have that one guy that really leads you, that pushes you. He's not doing that yet. If he can elevate his game, he has the ability, no question about it, to do that. If he does that, he does that, we play together and we play good central defense. I actually think that they could make it, you know, pretty far in the knockout rounds, win a couple of knockout games and surprise some people. They also have the potential to you know finish second or third in the group stage and then get wiped out in the first knockout game. So we'll see what happens. That's my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 33:50

So let's uh do a little rapid rapid fire here. So uh Tim, you said quarterfinal. That's your prediction?

SPEAKER_01 33:58

That's my hope. Yes. I want to I uh I you know, hand on heart, I don't know if I really believe that, but I'd like to say that that's my prediction.

SPEAKER_03 34:05

For me, the U.S. team will go to the round of 16. How about you, Pete?

SPEAKER_02 34:09

Um, I'm hoping for the quarterfinals myself.

SPEAKER_03 34:12

Okay, all right. So, rapid fire, Pete. Who do you think will win?

SPEAKER_02 34:18

Um gonna be so predictable. Um, going through everything, I still think France is a team to beat.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Okay. For me, it's Argentina repeating. Uh, I think France may be in the final or definitely the semis. How about you, Tim? Who's gonna win? I'll pick Spain.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

I think they have a lot of good young guys, and I think that they have, again, that kind of closeness, they're a lot of skill. So I I I agree I agree with you, Pete. I think France has a real shot, they have great players, but I I I'll pick I'll pick Spain. Also, France just recently picked up an injury, too. You saw that one guy that uh tore his Achilles. That's one of the other things that's tough about the World Cup. You lose a guy, and there's you know nothing you can really do about it, you know.

SPEAKER_03 35:04

Right. I I think that France may have the most talent, but I don't think they have a great coach. I don't think they I don't think they play great soccer consistently. So that's why I wouldn't pick them. Uh Spain's a great choice. I I said Argentina. So dark.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

What about Brazil? Do you guys have any like the anybody care about? I mean, they still have a good team.

SPEAKER_03 35:28

Brazil is is they're not gonna I don't know, round of 16, quarterfinals, something like that. That's what I think. Yeah, okay. Um, so dark horse. If you had to pick a team no one talks about as being like maybe not winning, but going really far, like to the semis or something. Who who would you say, Pete? Uh Norway. That's my team. Really? Yeah, that's my dark horse. See the the the amount of goals they put up in. They they're a good team, and they they could really surprise people. Yeah. Um Tim, what about you?

SPEAKER_01 36:06

Um, I'll pick Japan. Yeah, they're a very they're they're actually pretty good. Um, I don't think they'll go too deep in the tournament, but remember, they actually made, I think, what, the 16 or the quarters in in 2018. They they always play uh very good soccer. And um, you know, I I I can't say that I think they're gonna go really deep, but if you have the dark horse, it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:34

Great. I love it. I want to thank you guys for joining me and helping me with this heavy lift with such a big tournament. That's it for for this conversation. Thanks for listening. Now it's time for Dr. Rocco's Rex.

unknown 36:46

Now it's time for Dr.

SPEAKER_03 36:48

Rocco's Rex. Dr. Rocco's Rex. Now it's time for Dr. Rocco's Rex. If you happen to be traveling internationally, consider going to a soccer game. You know, a lot of us go travel to different countries and we go to museums, we go to restaurants, we go to the beach. But if you go to a country that loves soccer and it's in season, and usually seasons go from August or September until May. So if you happen to be in a place like Italy or Germany, England at those times of year, try to go to a soccer game. It is an incredible experience. I went to a game in Newcastle, England, which was just like unforgettable. I've been to a game in Rome, and and the, you know, you get to see something that's different. You get to see this culture where, you know, they they have been passing this down from generation to generation. The love of these club teams, and they've got their songs and anthems, they've got their taunts that they have for the other the other team and the other team's fans. So think about that next time you're traveling abroad. In fact, they've won the World Cup twice. They won the first ever World Cup, played in 1930, and then went ahead and won it again in 1950. Small but powerful, this country currently has 3.4 million people, which is the size of a, you know, kind of a moderately sized city. Uh, and they've won the World Cup twice. If you ever go to Uruguay, check out a game. That's all for today's show. Thanks for listening. Until next time, so long. That's all for today's show. Thanks for listening to the Life and How to Live It podcast with Dr. Rocco. If you enjoyed today's show, please subscribe and leave a review. See my show notes to find out more about the show. And remember, life is not a dress rehearsal. Until next time,