Where Have All the Underdogs Gone?

Chavez, Johnson and Romo meet up to discuss proper penalties, dubious referee decisions and the lament of the knockout round. 

Special thanks to Cristy Road Carrera @croadcore for the art and to Manu Chao @manuchaoofficial and Reverie x Coyote x Louden for the music. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:09

What up, y'all? We are back. It is Left Side of the Pitch Podcast. Instead of our regular location, we're in our alternate super secret HQ, not so secret this time around, Distrito Catorce. And I have a full panel of absolute jokers, and they're gonna introduce themselves. As always, it'll be name, pronoun. And this time that we're in the knockout stages, we're seeing a lot more penalty kicks. The question is what would be your penalty shot preparation and approach? What number in order, uh, one through five, do you think you would be best placed in? And if there's an individual, uh actual professional footballer, whose style you would emulate? And so we'll start over here to my left.

SPEAKER_03 1:02

Hello, hello, uh, Romo, he him. My penalty shot preparation and approach. I'd start uh telling you guys how this reminds me of really like childhood, like growing up and getting coached on how to take Benales. And my Nino, my godfather, was my coach. Uh, and he's he's still playing, he's in his 70s still playing. But one thing that stuck with me was he would always say it always favors the shooter. You you you have the advantage over the keeper, right? Like the the the penalty shot's gonna favor the shooter because there's there's you know the the chances the probability of the ball going in is so much higher than the keeper being able to shoot.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

I I I feel like that's a fact that seems to be like a little bit lost sometimes on modern day uh penalty takers, and yeah, you can really overthink, and I think that's what helped me is the psychology of it, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:58

It's just the constant confidence. I think that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

The last game with the penalty kicks. I'm like, hey, you know, because when he started playing soccer, he was a goalkeeper and then he moved after COVID, you know, to the to midfield. But I'm like, the responsibility is on who? Is like does it lie with the penalty kick taker or the goalkeeper? Like, who's the responsibility on like all right? It's is the more the responsibility on the goalkeeper, like, all right, you have to block it, or is it more on the penalty kick taker because their odds are greater, right?

SPEAKER_03 2:28

Yeah, so yeah, who feels the pressure more? Yeah, that's a good way to split it to. Um, but yeah, my Nino always just instilled that confidence. I think it's more like just the mental, right? And then what I've gained through the year. Entirely mental, yeah. It's just kind of those tools, right? Like, not like I've taken a penalty recently, but you know, through the years, I would I would, if I were in that situation, I would, you know, the deep breaths, to sort of like really zero in, not have that tunnel vision, but don't just like open open up to like all the stimuli where I'm overwhelmed. You know what I mean? So that'd be that'd be by preparation my approach. Uh I would more likely than not place it in the bottom left corner. I'm right footed, so naturally I think my foot would swing to the left, placing the ball in the bottom right corner. I think I'd stick with that. Um, one I guess compliment that I got once upon a time when I was a younger adult playing in the Pasadena Adult Soccer League. We went to we went to Penales in the playoffs. And our buddy Andy Terranova, we hit I nailed the penalty, and I was very proud of myself and everything. I was happy for the team. And Andy Terranova looks at me, our buddy from Footballista, he says, dude, that was some Andrea Pirlo shit, man. And I was like, Oh, thanks, dude. So I don't know, I haven't watched Andrea Pirlo a lot. Um taking those penalties. I wasn't like a big fan, but I was happy to receive the compliment.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

So sick, bro. Yeah, dope.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

What's up, everybody? Chavez, he him. Never really played soccer growing up, you know, a few times in an adult league. But my you know, my answer to this just comes from watching my son paying for private coaching when he was a goalkeeper and when he was a midfielder. And one of his coaches, I still talk to him this day, he played professionally in Mexico for Cruz Azul or grew up, came up with the academy. That's cool. And I always remember what he would tell my son. He's like, with a penalty shot, you have to know where you're gonna go before you take it. Yes, yep. You gotta just know it and just and just do it. Right? And then another coach from another team when he was, you know, moving up and just changing clubs, they would only practice low and away to the corners, right? So they would play the small-sided games with the little pop-up nets, they would always be in the corners, or there's that well, I don't know, I forget that brand that covers the the coal skill or something like that. And you would only have the holes, right? Bottom left, bottom right, top left, top right. And that's all they would practice. So my opening. Yes, right, because and it's also harder for the keeper to get low as opposed to jump up, jumping up, right? So it would be low either to the bottom left, bottom right.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

You know, uh would they practice stutter steps?

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Fuck that. At least do seven to nine stutter steps.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

And then a jump with a quick stall.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

And then the jump, yeah, the jump with the little back load foot.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Just get it over with, right? I mean, know where you're gonna go. Yeah, you know, I like it when they stand like straight to the ball, not to the angle, and then it kind of throws off the keeper, and then, you know, just aim for one of the corners, low and away, and and and you're good, right? With enough pace, enough power to get it past the keeper. I'd probably shoot like, you know, or number three, yeah, just because I like the number three, and then, you know, not just I mean, too much pressure with number one five. I don't know why in some of these teams they they they leave their best goal. I mean, penalty shot taker to the fifth spot. I think was it Colombia, Hamas? Was he fifth? Was it a reason one of these games? Like a in in in this last one, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

The no the um uh Colombia Switzerland it was it was it was Lucho kicking five.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Oh, Lucho. Which didn't make sense to me.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Yeah, and that's and that's a whole debate too. Um what up, y'all? Johnson, he him. Um is like there are instances where your best quote unquote penalty taker doesn't even get to kick because the people before him already blew it or the keeper made a big save and it's over in four rounds because you missed two and they didn't miss any and whatever, and it's it's done. Um and so yeah, that that's always wild. I I've always heard like you know, have them go first or whatever else and get that figured out. Um I have played soccer a majority of my life. I've never been in a position to take a penalty kick. I would either be a defender and not a very good player on the team, or I'm in goal trying to block the penalties. I blocked my fair share of penalties, which is pretty sick, you know what I mean? I guess the other side of things. Um, but I I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur of uh penales, and I get so enraged seeing bad penalty kicks taken. Same here. Just it just blows my mind, like you know, at that level, that much pay, that much time to prepare. How do you do it so badly?

SPEAKER_00 7:24

There's been some awful ones, man.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

Just horrendous.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Yeah, it's mind-boggling.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

And um to to kind of build on something that you mentioned with one of your, I think it was one of your son's coaches, I've also heard something similar where it's so psychological, like Romo was saying, that just visualize and decide where you're gonna put your penalty, like that morning of the match. Like you're not even you're not even like on your way to the ground yet. You're not even on like on the on the bus or anything. Like that morning while you're eating your cornflakes and like whatever, be like, okay, if I have to take one, here's why I'm placing it. And it's just stick to that. Like, whatever you decide, that's where you put it. There's no second guess, nothing, like nothing the keeper does, nothing anyone before you does, anything like that. That that that is is you know the the best practice because it's the indecisiveness, it's the hesitation, it's the second guessing that tends to destroy people.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

And it clutters mental space, right? Like if you decide early on, you clear up that mental space to actually then go and execute. That's that's one less thing. Yeah. To like weigh on you, to be like, oh shit, should I wasn't like for sure on this to begin with, now I'm just gonna decide in the moment kind of thing, and that's I don't know, I see that a lot, right? Like I can't I don't know what game it was, but man, there's I mean, I th there was at least two, I think. Maybe it was the Columbia penalty shootout. I was like, I just was just baffled, man. Like I mean, they have to be, you know, using the skills, you know, equipment that you're talking about, they use at the club level. I mean, that's just that's standard, right? Like it's just rep, rep, rep to where it's like ingrained, you know, in their nervous system, and then see you get in that stage, it should just be, you know, you're almost running on autopilot. That's ideally what I would think at that level of shit. It's the world thought.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

I like the way you put it where you can like you make that decision and you can just like file it away, and it's it's it's less to have to decide or think about or worry about.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Do you think because there's so much data that teams are looking at, you know the penalty kick taker, the shooter, is gonna try to do something different. Because you know, you've seen penalty kicks where like uh where the goalkeeper will have like something on their water bottle, like, alright, this guy's coming up 30% to my left, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Well, I mean, and and and Romo just said, I'll always put it in the bottom left corner because I'm right footed. And so if you were a pro, you would have to switch it up at some point because the keeper would be like, oh, he always puts it here, so I'm gonna dive there and figure it out. And but that's where you make that decision that morning of like, hey, I'm gonna go bottom right, or I'm gonna go straight down the middle. Yeah, I'm opening up the head.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

I'm gonna go, yeah, open up my hips and go the other way.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

I know the keeper I'm facing already, so yeah, and it and it only takes a couple of those variations to put that seat of doubt, and now like you were saying that the advantage is back with the kicker, and now you have the the the keeper doubting and unsure, and it's like, yeah, it's yeah, because I think once once they start second guessing or you know themselves, now it's advantage goalkeeper, right? Yeah, for sure. And as far as the the pro and or or my style, same with you, Chavez. I love it when they start um further back, but directly in line with the ball.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

As far as the approach goes, I love uh Mo Salah. He is the king, and and he starts directly behind the ball. He's left footed, and so he does that kind of like side shuffle step to his right and kind of rounds um and then comes through always with power. He's such a great penalty taker, and then a massive shout out to one of my all-time favorites, just all-time favorite players in general, but definitely uh, you know, loved him most when he was with Liverpool is um James Milner. Uh and just I love a player like that that's so like selfless, and he'll play anywhere you put him, and he's gonna like punch through walls for you and not even complain, not even have any issue, just the consummate professional, and he as well would always take that um longer run up and be able to put it low, right or left, and you know, would alternate it in a random way, and was just such a good penalty taker. He just retired, right? Loved him. I think he just retired at the end of this year.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

I was astounded, man. He's been around forever. You're like, he's still playing. He's still playing, dude.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

He's still wow. Yeah, he was with he was with Brighton. Um, and and yeah, finally, finally called it. Um and I think he has the Premier League record for most games played. Wow. Because he debuted at 16 years old. You know, as far as I know, he's never too.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

Did he come in with Aston Villa?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

What's that? Aston Villa. Uh no, uh most recently with uh Brighton.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

With Brighton.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Yeah. And uh he is that kind of dude like never drank, eats super healthy. Like they always like joke that he's so boring because he just like has a cup of tea and goes to bed, and like that's it. But that's why he's like never hurt, he's never you know, out of it, he's never had a bad game, and you know, it's always like a constant six out of ten. But anyways, this is not the the James Milner Appreciation podcast, but um, it was turning into it. Yeah. Um, obviously, in real life, if I had to take a penalty on that stage, me now, like I don't even think I could stand. I think my knees would just like wobble and I'd probably like I'd I'd probably faint in my run up and like like foot and your knee goes out. Dude, or that or the something, you know what I mean? Like, talk about nerves. At least you would have made the decision before.

SPEAKER_03 12:56

Hey, I I I would have known what direction because of cognitive low, but it would have been more of a physical reaction to the situation.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

You're gonna go top bins. You're gonna be flashing and go top bins.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

And and and that, and I don't care where you go, just hit it fucking hard, dude. Put your foot through it, kick it hard. And you see, and there was a couple recently, keeper guessed the right way, got a hand on it, but they pounded that thing and it still went in. You know what I mean? Yeah, crush it, dude. But yeah, um, you know, they need to ban the stutter step and stall and all that. Like, I I just absolutely hate it, but whatever. We're a bunch of old men yelling at clouds over here. So this isn't soccer. Back in my day. Now on to headlines. News off the pitch. Um we have two headlines, and they're both fucking bummers. Um, first one I first heard about yesterday. Uh the French national team, uh, most people's favorites to win this World Cup. Um it has been found, it has been discovered that the charter airplane company that is flying them around um maybe to the US, but definitely within the US to different cities for games, is actually a charter company called Global X, and a majority of Global X's business is running ICE deportation flights um all over the world, uh, including El Salvador to CA and anywhere else that uh punk ass ice and this stupid administration are deporting people to. Um any thoughts on that development? Because when I saw it, I was like, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Look, did France know what responsibility do they have, right? Like, look, and I hate it, right? Fuck ICE, fuck all that shit. But if I am within the French national team, what are their organizers doing all this logistical stuff, right? How does that conversation work? Am I reaching out to FIFA or is the government reaching out to me? Like, how are those conversations like, alright, we have a charter flight? Is it my responsibility as someone who's working for the French national team to say to research, you know, this charter company? Or is it more like, are we asking, say, are we asking for France to take a stance and say, change our fucking plane?

SPEAKER_01 15:30

And obviously the players have no idea about any of this stuff. They have zero involvement in logistics and travel and booking a freaking charter plane and all this shit. Like they just know where to, you know, somebody tells them what airport to go to and or or you know, jump on the team bus and that they're there, and that's it. But yeah, whoever does those logistics, I think you bring up a good question. Is there a process? I think there should be a process to like vet vendors and companies and all that. I doubt any team has anything like that of like, you know, are they an ethical, you know, source for practice balls or for like what you know, whatever it is, kind of thing. I don't think anyone gives a shit, and it just this one kind of got found out.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yeah, I don't I don't I don't put that responsibility on the federations, any federation to be that kind of ethical and take a stance on any of these issues, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_03 16:29

What a great opportunity, right? France's team, and and they're getting a lot of criticism. I see a lot of like racism, especially this world. But for World Cups, I can remember even going back to you know 06 with Zidane and 2010 with Patrice Evra and stuff, and you know, a lot of the kind of like nationalist extremes, extremists from France, you know, talking shit about the French team and oh, they're not French, you know, Patrice Eva, he's the captain, he's not French. You know, they're not they're actually not up there singing the national anthem, you know, how they're they're a disgrace, you know. But what about a wonderful opportunity? I mean, I I agree, like I don't I don't think there was a vetting process for that. I think it's just let's just go with whatever the lowest bidder or whoever FIFA has to say, that's one less thing for them to do. Um but I think now it's like what I haven't read the the aftermath, but you know, the players gonna speak up about that, right? And and what it what does that mean to them? I think this is a chance for them to show that.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

It reminds me what we talked about in our last episode, where you know, we would want we expect, we want some of these athletes to be like AA political stance as role models taking stances, yeah. Yeah, right. Right. But this also reminds me that you know, a lot of these superstars, some of these best, the best players in the world have chosen to represent one country when they could have represented another, right? They've chosen a lot of these have chosen to represent these historically imperialist colonial countries when they could have represented their home countries, right? Or their parents' countries.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Yeah, the the the the country mate perhaps where their where their parents had been born.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Yeah, and so it kind of reminds me that you know when when these superstars, when these with these players with these immigrant backgrounds, when they win, you know, especially you know, I've heard it with with the players in France, when they win, they're French, but when they lose, they're immigrants.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

It uh comes to mind all the hate that Mbappe was getting when they beat Paraguay, right? And that senator that talked all that shit, saying that, you know, he's he's he's Cameroonian, right? Um that those are his roots, as I understand. And she, yeah, she said some like horrible racial shit, and then um there's video going around social media of like the Paraguay fan, and this really like casts a huge shadow on Paraguay because I didn't know their fans got down like this. It's super disappointing. But like burning like a mannequin made out of fucking whatever cloth with the word Mbappe written on the front of it, like it's just horrendous. And then uh a congressman, congressmember came out and spoke out saying, you know, he's I don't want to repeat it, but the same like racist bullshit, you know, against talk about sore losers, man. Let's take it to a whole other fucking galaxy.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Yeah, Latin America right now, for the past maybe half decade, maybe decade, has been there's been this big shift to the right, this fascist right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Big time, like their their own brand of like MAGA and ultra-right fascist bullshit. Yeah, that's the the big wave in South and Central America right now, sadly.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

So gross, man.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

And our last news story within headlines is just unbelievably sad and tragic. Um first of all, I'm sure a lot of you saw the Argentina-Egypt match. More on that a bit later in the pod. And then I bet a lot of you saw the footage, you know, whether on social media or whatnot, of uh Palestinians in Gaza basically having their own watch party and being able for two, three hours just have a bit of joy and and kind of forget that they're literally surrounded by rubble and you know, in a in a occupied nation and and uh you know all the rest, and they got to watch Egypt nearly take off the um holders of the of the World Cup and nearly eliminate Argentina, and that was and that was brought about by an organization called the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza. Um and specifically a man named Muhammad Al-Wahidi had been organizing those particular watch parties, and you know, they had a little projector, they had a screen, they probably had some speakers, it looked like they had quite a few Egypt flags, and they were just vibing to it. And they were just again that that brief moment of joy and and you know connection and all that. And then um it turned out that an hour before kickoff of that match, Israel targets Al Wahidi's car, not only murders him, but several other people, I believe at least one child. Um ages eight and ten. And just horrific. And and we're so beyond, like, oh, maybe it was like mistaken identity, maybe it was like an accident, maybe it was collateral damage or whatever else. And it's just too much from this, you know, Zionist administration and this warmongering military and and you know uh Netanyahu in in general that like they knew. They knew. I I at least don't have any doubt that they knew what they were doing, um, and the timing and all of it. And it's just disgusting and despicable and such a bummer.

SPEAKER_03 21:49

I hate to even have to bring it up and and add it to the podcast, but so and I saw this story about an hour after that horrendous game between. Egypt and Vad Hintina wrapped. And it just broke my heart, man. I think the last show I shared with you guys, how I texted you guys a couple weeks ago or a week ago. Right, right. That one day where I there was the first time in the cup where I mostly I was like, dude, I'm on a downer. Like for the first time this World Cup. The whenever that was the Egypt.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

No, that was um uh England beat Dr. Congo and Belgium beat Senegal. There you go.

SPEAKER_03 22:23

There you go. So this is for the second time in the tournament, you know, one day this earlier this week, whenever the Egypt at Hintina game happened, it was, and this was just kind of the the icing on the shit cake, as they say. Um total heartbreak. Definitely looked like a targeted attack. Um you talk about again just finding you in uh diabolical ways to totally strip a whole population and ethnicity of their humanity. Um this is about as low as it can get, and I and I uh wish nothing but bad things and evil forces in the sense of Star Wars, right? To uh to visit the uh the IDF, hopefully sometime very soon. Very, very heartbreaking. Um I can't help but to think, you know, if there's any connection, I want to see what you guys think. Obviously, Egypt, you know, being a neighbor of Palestine and and uh a uh a sanctuary sort of country, right? And they're welcoming into Palestinians historically and stuff like that. Always, yeah, always. And then the head coach being very outspoken, right, in support of Palestine, and then of course, all obviously all the backlash that he got because of that. Um this in any way connected? Obviously, I don't think it happened because the coach was pro-Palestine, right, as soon as this World Cup, but was that because you know those those dynamics have been long in place before? Um, but was that sort of what pushed it over the edge? Not that there's any onus on the Egyptian coach, he had every every right, but that's I'm just thinking what what was the catalyst to this because it sounds really, really bad.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

It's so tragic, it's so sad, upsetting, right? You know, years here's a man working with this organization, trying to help children just escape the realities of war. How is this not targeted?

SPEAKER_07 24:06

Yeah, yeah, right?

SPEAKER_00 24:08

And and and thank you for mentioning the Egypt manager Hossam Hassan. I think the day before, a couple days before, right? Great, gave this great press conference about Palestine and really talking about like where is our humanity? We're able to help our neighbors, we're able to help have these all these relief efforts for animals, and that's great. Right. But we're just bystanders and we're letting all this happen to the people of Gaza, and he and you know, and it's such a great press conference. So if you haven't seen it, just just look it up. And I think there's a video of him, you know, after the games uh carrying a Palestinian flag, yeah, and it just so happens that a day or two after, right, um this targeted attack, right?

SPEAKER_01 24:55

Yeah, there's there's too much in connection, like you're all saying, and it just again another despicable act by the the IDF and the Zionist state, and and I think you know, going towards because part of the part of what has me feeling downright about this is all these things are out of our control.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

And I think with football, right, you we so much emotional investment into it, and then when a result doesn't go the way I want it to, or I feel like it's unjust, I feel like fuck man, like the sense of powerlessness, right? But I think with Gaza, we we can all agree this is just on a whole different planet. It doesn't even occupy the same realm, right, of football. So I think any small actions, you know, like being here, this uh I know we're gonna talk about it more in a minute, but football is is del pueblo. Um any donations, any organizations doing that work, you know, to support the Palestinians, any any any um shows of solidarity, right? So either through sport or through your everyday life and other institutions that you know um that we find ourselves in, it's very, very important to keep these stories alive, right, on social media or in person. That's where I find solace, right, at the end of the day, because it is very easy to let this stuff really consume and eat at you, you know. Um but finding finding that those those glimmers of hope and like things that we can do, right, to to work against it.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

You know, as far as I've been organizing an activist, I feel that it's this moment right now where there's been so much more on tension on the Palestinian resistance, on everything that's going on in Gaza. More so than in years past, and I'm not sure why that is, but I feel that there's traction there, right? In support of the Palestinian cause, uh this anti-Zionist, right? I'm seeing that in social media and the news more, right? Because before I wouldn't hear that word in the news. And so now I'm I'm seeing it more, and so I feel like we're at this point where it's gaining more and more traction. Good point.

SPEAKER_03 26:51

Yeah, and I think that's what's tipped the scales, right? Now they have to pay attention, right? Because that's how you shift the narrative when you get enough people talking about it in different ways, other than what they're supposed to be programmed and how to talk about it. So that's what's up.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

I want to see the news just today. I think Ireland passed a bill saying that they were gonna boycott all items made in the occupied cities of the West Sag, right? So I don't know there's deep roots there of solidarity, but there's more and more of these actions taking place. Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

And yeah, I mean, Chavez, today you're wearing an uh FC Palestina jersey, and I have a couple of those myself, and anytime I wear them, I wore them to the Switzerland Bosnia game. I wore them to a bunch of the watch parties. I would always get tons of love from people of just like, hey, love your shirt, like Viva Palestina, you know, what you know, whatever, just tons and tons and tons of love. And I I hope we're at that point. And Romo, I appreciate you bringing us back to what's in our control and and what we can do in creating community and finding joy through the resistance. Um, but it does feel like we're at that tipping point of like there is no going back, there is no being silent about it or anything else, and like you have to have a position, and there's really only one tenable position, you know, and that's the side against genocide, which is bonkers that they we even have to like have sides. Like, it's yeah, it's uh all of it is just you know insane. But um, yeah, I I I would hope we're at that point where there's no turning back, and that whole it's darkest before dawn kind of thing, and and you know, we're we're getting close to a secure state for the Palestinian people and all the rest. So let's hope. Let's hope. And the genocide. And now it's time for start subbench. Uh, we only have one topic for today. It is uh something that a lot of people have been talking about. Uh and is the refereeing at the World Cup. And so the wording is would you start sub or bench? The overall refing has been inconsistent and generally bad, and I will add, and has taken away from the overall game experience. I'm gonna start this one.

SPEAKER_03 29:15

Um I mean, especially coming off the Egypt Vadhentina game, right? I mean, just uh it they're not even hiding it anymore. I mean, it's it's just absolutely atrocious, man.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

So out of all the games, one game is making you start this.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

Pretty much. But it it's it's that you talk about inconsistent. And the thing is with refing, right? It's you don't commend I it's good when I can watch a game and the refing is is consistent and it's fair enough where I can focus on the game. It's not loud, it's not something that's loud, right? So that doesn't jump out, it's just one of those phenomena. I don't know what you want to call it, but when it's bad, it goes against what it should be, and it's freaking loud. And the blatant favoritism um that that was shown towards Argentina, and we can get into you know whatever conspiracy theories, and I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but whatever, um has it was it was deafening. I mean, it was it was so loud that you know it's it's still ringing my ears. So I'm gonna I guess I'm gonna start this because I I agree 100%.

SPEAKER_00 30:15

I'm going to sub it. I'm glad we're talking about this, maybe talk about the reffing. I'm glad that they are allowing them to be more physical because compared to normal league play in any of the leagues, there you know, there's been a much fewer calls due to all this physicality, right? You're right, you're right. Now, more recently, there's been some crazy calls and non-calls in these high-stakes games, right? With the round of 32, the ro more so the round of 16, quarterfinals, whatever. So, but I think overall it's been consistent. I think in these big games with these stars, it's been inconsistent. But overall, that's why that's why I'm subbing it. That's why I'm subbing it. Fair enough. But I agree there's been some inconsistency in some of these games. Um, but overall, I I do appreciate that the refing has been consistent in the way of them allowing them to be more physical.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

I'm also gonna sub this, and I agree with you, Chavez, that it seems like all the refs got some sort of a directive early on, at least after the first match, because the first match they were going crazy, um, to let things go, to let them play um that stuff that might normally be called as a foul. Hey, let's swallow the whistle and you know have an uninterrupted match and all that kind of stuff. And I think as a whole tournament, and now that we are approaching, um, I guess we're at the uh semifinals um portion of this uh this World Cup, I think that part has been great and I appreciate that. When it comes to the inconsistencies, sure. Um, and and you know, well I'll I'll speak to um Varentina and Egypt here in a bit, but um anytime you have humans and humans making decisions, you're gonna have inconsistencies, like that's to be human, right? Like you're gonna have little mistakes, little oversights, that's a snap judgment, all the rest of it. That was, and I'm I'm I'm not at all like a huge 100% pro-VAR uh kind of person, but that was bringing in the VARs, like remove the inconsistency and all that, but then it starts to sterilize the game a bit, it starts to make it a lot more robotic and takes away a little bit of the human element that is largely why we love it. Um first match uh for Argentina, Messi probably could have been sent off, at least gotten a yellow, and there was a non-call, right? He he's he scrapes his his studs down somebody's calf, and he's messy, so there's nothing. And and uh a lot of people, especially after um Flo Balogun's red card and you know all that nonsense coming out of it, is like, oh look, you know, he gets a red card for this, which it was absolutely a red card for for for Balogun and the US. Um, but then Messi didn't get that call and all that. But it's like sure I get that, and you can compare that, but it's not like that it was the same ref in both games. And so when anytime you have multiple people, you're gonna get a different interpretation, all the rest of it. That all being said, the refereeing and just the absolute swallowing of the whistle, like that that French ref, hopefully he's he's shit out his whistle by now, um, or it's stuck in his bowels somewhere because he mega swallowed that thing, and it wasn't that they were calling everything on Egypt, it's just they were calling absolutely nothing on Argentina, and not even a single one got booked, not even a yellow card, and that was just so egregious, and then you know, Egypt's second goal that got um brought back because of the foul, and I hate to admit it because that goal was fucking dope. Um, it was a foul. Like you step on somebody's foot in in trying to to jockey for position and get the ball off of them. That's a foul, okay. That being said, again, Mo Salah gets kicked in the box. I don't even care if they give a penalty or not, but that leads to Enzo's goal that wins it, that should have been brought back. And that's again in within a match, you can talk about inconsistencies. I don't think you can talk about inconsistencies between matches and between different uh refereeing crews.

SPEAKER_00 34:34

Does it matter with Salah getting kicked in the box whether or not he had a chance at goal? Because he was still pretty far away from what I remember, and so if he hadn't gotten kicked, it still wouldn't have been a goal scoring opportunity for him, even though it was within the box. It's a foul in the box. That's a call. I isn't but I mean, we're getting in the in the nitty-gritty about the rules, right? But like and I and I wasn't gonna if he hadn't gotten fouled, he wasn't close to the ball, he wasn't gonna be able to score a goal.

SPEAKER_01 35:10

Well, no, he he was dribbling, he had the ball.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

Oh, then I guess I'm thinking about the wrong play.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

I think you're thinking about the wrong play. He's he was dribbling, they they were they were you know had a decent counterattack, and oh and and and it's right at like the the the near side corner of the boss. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:28

Now I remember, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

And and I will admit, and and and Moe's my boy, he he goes down pretty easy, but but he is kicked. You know what I mean? And he but he feels the contact, he goes down, but there's still contact, and that's where again, if you're calling it one way for one team, you gotta call it the same way for the other team, and uh just within that game, inexcusable and and absolutely ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 35:50

And I agree with you, Josh. I think the the foul was you know more on the Egypt I didn't think again, the foul that happened before the second goal, before Egypt's second goal that was disallowed, the the foul that happened before that attacking sequence, I think it was a foul. It just they let it go on for so damn long before they called it back. Like if you're gonna call the foul, call it. Otherwise it's a no-call. I mean, that's just the way I see it. You let them score the goal and then you pull it all the way back. It just doesn't seem like that's that's not for me, that's not following the spirit of the rule, right? Um did that foul, had that foul not been committed, what did that did that had that foul like does that foul have anything to do with the outcome of the goal, is what I'm saying, right? Like to however how long that buildup was. Did that because that foul happened, did that lead directly lead to the goal being scored?

SPEAKER_00 36:43

It's the same sequence of play, right? So so I mean for 10 seconds? It's the same sequence of play, I think the the rule is or the directive is you have to let it play out to see how it turns out.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

I I I have quite a few friends that are non-soccer folks and they're paying attention to the World Cup, so they're asking me hella questions like, you know, why was that like that and this and like this? And I was explaining to them um because it was that same phase of play sequence of play, and and they never passed it back, they never, you know, uh Argentina didn't get a poke on it, and then Egypt got it back or whatever. Had any of that happened, then it would be a different phase of play, and that particular foul might not have mattered. But it was them getting out of, you know, they were deep in their own uh uh attacking third and and had to, you know, battle through to launch that counter. Like that was the move that launched the fast break, and so yeah, that was that sequence of play. And to your earlier question of like why so far back, it's actually in the attacker's um best interest that they don't blow the whistle or they don't call um anything until later, because it could be that let's say a line judge waves the flag for a foul, um, they blow it immediately, uh uh ref blows the whistle, then it's just dead. And and maybe that line judge got it wrong, right? And so they they they hold off, they they wait, they see what happens. If something's scored, then it's like, hey, I think I saw something, and then they can actually go look and and and and and you know review it and figure that out. And so I don't mind that, and that's how they're actually taught to administer with you know fouls and whatever else because they have VAR. Um, like it or not, they were doing that the correct way, I suppose, like however you want to interpret that word.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Yeah, and that's how they do it with the offsides, right? And sometimes we see it it's clear off sides, but they'll wait to see how that uh play turns out.

SPEAKER_03 38:43

Yeah, so I I guess maybe then it's a thing, right? Of kind of just adding insult to injury with that second goal. Because the amazing thing is that Egypt, right? Because I'm hearing a lot of the punnants saying, well, they're you know, they should have closed out the game and all this, that, and the other. They ain't wrong. But there's so many things that were going against them. And the fact that they scored the second, right, which my opinion should have been the third. But I I hear you in terms of the way the rule book is written. I think the way it's enforced, I think that's that's gotta be taken a look at. I just I'm just thinking about the spirit of the rule versus the letter of it, right? But the fact that they got that second goal, went up 2-0, was phenomenal. Um, and then comes, I don't know what part of it, but we you know talked about just a minute ago how Mo Salah should have gotten a call in the box, yeah, and then they go on to score, go up three to two. It just the whole thing was just very dicey. And then I want to add one final thing in terms of um, and I'm not wedded right to this whole like start bench thing. I think we've kind of gone beyond that. It's opened up a lot more fruitful discussion later. Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. But the coach, I'm sorry, tell me the name of the head coach again for Egypt. Hossam Hassan. Thank you, Hossam Hassan. He held up the X gesture, yeah, right, signaling for racist abuse, and then what happens is one of his assistant coach, I think, and seemed to end up getting a red card because of that whole um scrum, right? I'm not sure what happened as a result of the case. Hassan got a yellow himself. And head coach got a yellow as well. So I think it just kind of this insult to injury, right? When you take the game in its totality and all the missteps and like what Johnson opened up with in terms of like how many fouls that Egypt didn't get, or I'm sorry, how many calls uh Ad Hintina didn't get on them, and Egypt did get on them. Um it sort of it ends up in this big like ball of injustice, it seems like, right, for for Egypt.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

The emotions were high, right? Like fuck, we have the reigning world champions down to zero against Egypt.

unknown 40:30

Right?

SPEAKER_00 40:30

Down two goals, fifteen minutes left.

SPEAKER_03 40:32

Fifteen minutes left.

SPEAKER_00 40:33

Like the excitement behind that, and then for them to lose in the way they did with the non-calls, the the the goals that the scored, right? And so I think this all that is adding to all these discussions. I saw something earlier.

SPEAKER_01 40:52

Um I believe the the gentleman was Egyptian. Um he looked familiar. I I I I couldn't place him, this was on Instagram, um, and he was just explaining, and I fully agree, he was he was you know, I think Moe was fouled, you know, I agree with all of it. At the same time, uh, and and to paraphrase his words were that this is like the best way Egypt could have been knocked out of this World Cup. In this sense that now the entire world appears to be like pro-Egyptian and pro-Egyptian national team, um, or at least the entire world except for Argentina, right? Um and that they were so heroic, and and obviously he would have rather them win and have pull off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. But win that would have been. But oh my god, amazing, right? Um, but even still that he's not super upset because there's just so much love for this team. Um, and I agree, like I love Egypt. I I studied the the Middle East or or uh Swana, um, if you will, in uh in university, and I I had a um a big interest and and fascination and and connection um with Egypt, and I love like pan-Arabism with uh Nasser and and all the rest of it. So I've always loved that country and that country's culture. Obviously, I love Mo So I support the national team. Any other time I've seen them play at AFCON or previous World Cups, they're dreadful to watch previously. They they've they've they've never been exciting, they've never been um unleashed. They had like uh Carlos Quiroge and all these just like let's like kill football and play anti-football and and just stink it up for 90 minutes and go for the nil-nil draw and shit. And then this coach, um, who's controversial in his own ways. I don't know if you heard heard about his past, he's like the the uh Luis Figo of of uh Egyptian football. Um but he's finally got them playing really good, really cool attacking soccer. And it's the first time they've caught my attention for sure. Yeah, right, and it and it was such a flex. Sucks that second goal got got brought back, but then they're like, fuck it, let's go do it again. And they go almost do the exact same thing again and score an absolute banger. Thank God they the the ref couldn't cook up some ticky-tack little foul in the build-up, and it was just brilliant.

SPEAKER_03 43:11

It was very Cabo Verde-esque, right? And it's like ironic here. Yeah, you know what I mean. It's like Cabo Verde went out to Adentina. They said, here, here's the baton, Egypt. Like, we need you to go take care of business now, and that's that's what's very heartwarming about the fuera maradona.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

So we are well into the knockout stage, y'all, and there's been some amazing games, uh, a couple thrillers, and far too many heartbreaks. We recently had to see uh probably the most heroic L3 uh Mexico team and performance in a very long time. Sadly, they did not come out on top, and it was a rare World Cup loss at the Estadio Azteca uh final score. Final score final score 3-1, right? 3-2. Shit, it was 3-2. Final score 3-2. Um, and yeah, where where'd y'all watch that one? Um, at any point, were you giving up? Were you in it to the end? Um Chavez, I know you're the the resident Mexico hater. Um did did did that. You said he's evolved. Did that performance like win any like you know uh fandom from you? Did it did it soften your your cold, cold heart? Slightly, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:32

Slightly. I'm evolving. And so the first half, you know, I think Mexico started well. I think, well, who was it? Um Raúl Jimenez, Mr. Header. I mean, they started well, right? And it was exciting. You know, it was sad to see Mexico. Well, part of me, right, was sad to see Mexico exit the tournament. You know, followed by that one. Part of me, right? Because yes, I want to see a Conca Cav team advance and one day win this thing.

SPEAKER_03 45:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

Ideally, not Mexico, but hey, if this was gonna be the tournament, why not, right? And but look, there were moments in this tournament for Mexico, halves, maybe not full games. It's unfortunate, you know, um, that they had to go out this way. You know, Bellingham had that brace and within a couple minutes. Uh but Mexico, uh you know, I don't know how much in these details we want to go into the weeds with regard to tactics, but that spirit, and you know, leading up to this, they had some some very serious injuries leading up to this tournament. Like two key players were out. Um, you know, some of these pundits were saying this is like the worst Mexico team in in a long time, but to perform the way they did, yeah. You know, hats off to them. But I guess, you know, in a lot of ways with the Gonca Calf teams, uh, if you're looking at the standings, the rankings, they were eliminated maybe accordingly, if you want to say that, right? There's no like Cinderella story with any of these teams, right? They were losing, they lost to a higher ranked team, right? Yeah, but they showed that they can they can go toe-to-toe with them.

SPEAKER_03 46:15

Yeah, I think it's a good way to put it. And it's it's similar to what we just got done uh saying about Egypt, right? Um is that this is for me as a Mexico fan, this is probably the way I would want to see them go out, you know. Um so yeah, I think they they played with heart, they played together. They they started off strong until I forget what minute uh Bellingham scored the first goal, but then you know, about six minutes later they he got another goal on both of those goals were on defensive errors, and and it was just tough for us to be in that hole so early on, right? It was it was two minutes later, dude.

SPEAKER_01 46:49

It wasn't six. Shit. Two minutes later. Yeah, those goals were back to back. And and and they were so similar. Um I was just watching at home with with my partner Dora because she was far too nervous to like be in public. She said she's like, I want to just be home in case I'm a mess and I get so sad. And and we both thought it was a replay of the first goal, then it turned out it was the second goal.

SPEAKER_03 47:13

Because the mistake was so similar, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

And and obviously the first goal was a header, and the second goal was was I think a right foot or something like that. And and she's like, wait, that was the same one, right? And I'm like, babe, now they've like they scored again. Um and yeah, that was that was a uh just total shocker, but good go on with your point before.

SPEAKER_03 47:32

So I mean, yeah, it's it's tough when you go down that early, right, in that kind of a hole, because now you're playing catch-up and you're playing catch up to England. Uh a lot of the hype before the game was the altitude, right? And all the speculation. And I it was just amusing. It was almost hilarious how much hype and coverage it was getting. Like, oh, are the English boys gonna be able to acclimate? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 47:50

Like, did they bring enough violence?

SPEAKER_03 47:52

Did they bring enough violence? Are they experiencing cognitive decline? Yeah. Um, and you know, interviewing fuck you guys. I couldn't help it, bro. I couldn't help it, bro. You know, so all that stuff obviously they battled through. Both teams looked really fucking tired. Um, so that was cool to see. Like both teams really put it out there. Uh, I thought Julian Kinones' goal was a beauty, right? I mean, he just like struck a sliced across the ball, had really good technique. Um, you know, and then the penalty for Raúl Jimenez. Uh, but lo and behold, I then I think the third goal by England was the Harry Kane penalty. Is that sound right? Yeah, so um, yeah, so heartbreaking for Mexico. Um, but yeah, happy with with the way they came out and they showed heart from whistle to whistle, man. Really, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

I think the future is bright for Mexico knowing that Rafa Marquez is gonna take over the team. And you know, I'm always curious, like how much influence assistant coaches have, yeah, you know, in the game over Aguirre or whatever, but I think the future's bright. They played really well, they had moments, they had maybe not a complete game, a full 90 minutes, where like yeah, they rocked it, but like halves throughout this this tournament, like yeah, they were playing really, really good football.

SPEAKER_03 49:06

Yeah, and I think one thing too is you know what we're seeing from these teams like Morocco against France, for instance, but and it's different in Mexico's case against England, is that when England decided to just sit, you know, run the clock out and sit on the game, and they went five in the back and just were just going with height and just brute force, it really exposed Mexico, you know. Um and they this Mexico still still tried, but I think you know, you you mentioned it earlier, Chavez, about how Mexico just couldn't no longer play through them, right? They couldn't slice and dice them, um, play the technical game, and they're they're you know, their crosses into the box, they had to go around or over them, and they just they just couldn't do it. And it was just 20 minutes of that at the end of the game.

SPEAKER_01 49:41

To take it back to a to an earlier point before we talk about those last 15-20 minutes that were just so maddening. Um I hate being right when it's shit that I want to be right about. That first England goal in the 36th minute was the first goal they'd ever given up in the whole World Cup.

SPEAKER_03 50:00

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:01

And I was I was curious and I kept asking, like, I don't think it's a great thing that they have never conceded in any of the group stage in the earlier game um against Ecuador and all because they like as as that 11, as that team in this World Cup, they haven't had to like, hey, heads up, let's go go again, regroup, whatever else. And um Dora again uh to take it back to my partner, she was so pissed. She's like, like, how does that happen? How are they not paying attention? And I'm like, it was exactly that, like their their mental focus was still replaying their previous mistakes and and and what they did wrong to give up the the goal that they just gave up. England having maybe a little bit more experience in bigger tournaments or or maybe players that have played in more pressure situations or whatever, a little bit more now. And and and they know that you're most vulnerable either after you've given up a goal or even after you've scored a goal because you're you're you're not mentally focused. And if you saw from kickoff, they were pressing and pressing and pressing and pressing and pressing, and that's why they got they got them, and bam, there there's there's number two, um, and and got them with that second goal, and so just a huge bummer there. And then to your other point, I I like Aguirre was fine, and um our our homie Edgar um was like there's a gire ball, like he ran out of ideas, and it was just cross it in, cross it in. And like you're saying, they have monstrously huge dudes, they bring on freaking Dan Byrne the mountain, um, the guy's just you know seven foot a million, and and you know the Wemby of the World Cup. Yeah, but and and and you know, they could have probably played 120 minutes of just swinging in crosses and and never probably even got a shot on target.

SPEAKER_03 51:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:59

Because that back line is designed and and that's there's their their bread and butter. No one was making runs. All the attacking players were just in line with the with the center uh with uh the yeah, with the uh center backs and waiting for crosses. No one was like checking to playing a little like give and go, playing a little runs. There was zero movement. Yeah, yeah, down to ten man, old ultimate bunker, zero movement off ball, and it was just the most frustrating thing. It was just like watching people continue to put a hand on the stove and then get upset that their hand burned, and it's just like, what are you doing? What are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 52:33

Yep. Do you think that for a lot of those crosses the real goal is to get that second ball closer in the box where like it's a miss header or it's deflected, and you know.

SPEAKER_01 52:47

I mean, you can only speculate on if that's what they're going for. If that if they're going for like, let's make sure they miss clear and then we'll get the second ball. Like that's a pretty shit tactic. But perhaps, perhaps, um they ran out of ideas. Yeah, they they were and and and they brought Kinonas off. I don't know if you still have the thing of when when was like the 53rd minute or something.

SPEAKER_03 53:06

Yeah, it was early in the second half. Martinez is like their tallest.

SPEAKER_01 53:08

It was so early. And and he it was you know, quinus was was their standout player um of the entire tournament and and such a uh you know attacking force and all that. Um 81st minute. 81st? Okay, I for some reason I had 53rd in my head. 81st is much more understandable, but but still um yeah, in yeah, right in my head it was like early second half, but um still they he should have played the full 90 plus whatever 12 minutes it was um that they had of of uh injury time, but yeah, just the subbing was weird, the taxes weird. Yeah, they ran out of ideas, but they're like fucking world-class footballers, and they they know how to like play little gives and goes and little triangles and all that kind of stuff, and yeah, just so frustrating, so frustrating.

SPEAKER_03 53:54

Yeah. Hendo's broken arm. That was fucked up, man.

SPEAKER_01 53:58

Dude, poor Hendo. Zero minutes played, a yellow card, and broke his wrist or his arm or whatever it was, falling over the advertising. So I I luckily didn't see it. I hate seeing those gruesome injury videos. Um, and I just heard about it and feel bad for my boy Hendo, but yeah, we go from one bummer to I guess another, depending on your perspective. Um hello folks, Romo included. Um, I was following along with the Poderosa's uh Slack, um, you know, little World Cup uh platica that we have going on, and they were just loving it and rubbing it in my face and sending me all kinds of memes and all. But yeah, the US absolutely crumbles with like the lightest of pressure. Um, some people are trying to say, like, oh, it's you know, cause Trump interfeared and got involved and it made it such a distraction and all that. And sure, all that was fucking dumb, all that fucking sucked. I hate it so much. None of that had an impact on how they played, and they played so poorly and looked like they'd never played together as a team, and just disgraceful. Um, Malik Tillman's free kick that was a bit of a deflection and all that was the the lone bright spot. Um, you know, they they score that, and two minutes later again, um Belgium hit back again, and yeah, it was just pathetic and out of reach. Um, as again a dues paying member of the goalkeepers union. I feel for Matt Freeze. Um, I've probably done something similar in Tuesday night, PASL, uh, adult league.

SPEAKER_03 55:37

Yeah, you're supposed to do that shit, man.

SPEAKER_01 55:39

But at the same time, I I always knew, and I would, you know, I'd come out and do it. Actually, I remember exactly being able to do that and and chesting uh the ball down and then putting my absolute boot through it and almost getting like a shot on the other the other goal. Um and so yeah, just he did great to get that touch, and then it's like, why are you trying to like make a cute little pass or like pick out your little pass and wait, like put that shit in the fucking stands, dude?

SPEAKER_00 56:06

It looked like he tried he second guessed himself, yeah. And it just speaks to what we're talking about earlier. Make a decision and just follow through with it, regardless of wherever the ball was gonna go out of bounds or direct to a Belgian player, but it's unfortunate.

SPEAKER_01 56:23

Yeah, and it was just, you know, again to borrow your phrase, the icing on the on the on the shit cake there. And um, yeah, it fucking sucked. It's not so much that they got knocked out in the round of 16, um, especially against Belgium, who had knocked them out in 2014. Um, it was more how they went out, and they, you know, whereas at least Mexico like looked really bright, they looked heroic, they fought till the end, they were swinging and swinging and swinging. Not none of that can be said about the US team, and it was just a pathetic display.

SPEAKER_00 56:56

Yeah, just a total lack of intensity throughout the game, which was surprising because they had a lot of uh good games or good moments throughout the you know, throughout the tournament. You know, it instilled hope in in fans, but again, you know, if we're just looking at rankings, they had beaten all teams that were ranked lower, you know, so they won those games that you know they had maybe expected to win and then they lost to a higher ranked team. And Belgium has grown throughout the tournament. You know, they they had that previous game against uh Senegal, right? The comeback win and then Heartbreaker, man. Senegal blew the US away, right? 4-1 win.

SPEAKER_03 57:34

Yeah. It was an emotional psychological lapse. It looked like they were just continuously unraveling and falling apart as the goals kept getting poured in. And the Ketelar, my boy. He looked like a character from Doonsbury. I don't know if you read the LA Times comics on Sunday, but Doonsbury, you could look it up too. The spitting image of the character. My dad, and my dad's the best at like picking out like lookalites. He's like, Yeah, Donesbury's going off on the US. So I texted our footy fans thread. But yeah, I mean, it was it was really hard to watch, man. Um, you know, I'm not a US fan, but it it was I I wanted more of a game as a soccer fan. Right. Um but for me, just with everything, you know, Trump stemping in and playing daddy and reversing the fucking call and getting the red card rescinded and all that shit. I think this was this was justice, you know what I mean? Um, not sure if that had any bearing because I was wondering the same thing. I know Johnson, you you tend not to think so, but not sure if it had any bearing on it. But it just looked like the the lights were just too bright for them, man. And it was it was a huge pro US crowd at Seattle, you know what I mean? So I don't know if that got to them. I just it it it was it was really hard to watch.

SPEAKER_01 58:41

It was definitely like a majority pro US crowd in Seattle, but it wasn't a good crowd. It was there wasn't a crowd that you could hear, man. Picking up their team, and hey, we're gonna do another cool original chant. All they have is the fucking US hey, you was hey, and like that's the you know, they you can only repeat that so many times, and I'm sure obviously I blame the players and the staff and all that kind of stuff, but like the the crowd didn't help, and far too many casuals who watch soccer every four years and and have six thousand dollars laying around, yeah. For real, dude. Um, so yeah, all of that was just uh a total bust. Some of the matches that have already concluded, um, not a whole lot going on in them. Um France kind of got bored. There, they they you know reminded me of my cat when it's playing with a lizard and keeping it alive long enough to get some enjoyment out of it, and then finally gets bored and sticks a claw and you know, is like I'm done with this kind of thing. Um, I really wanted Morocco to win, and they just didn't seem up for it, or their their you know, momentum finally ran out. And as I mentioned, France is kind of just like, yeah, I'm bored of this, let's let's go win it. And kind of the only bright spot out of that was uh Mbappes, just absolute ridiculous curler, just a nice goal, man. You know, shielded by the the defender, and it it it almost looked like he couldn't even get sight on the goal from that one angle, but just knew he's just so good and so experienced of like I just know where to put it without even being able to visually see where to put it. And yeah, that was that was amazing.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:22

Uh I don't know if it was Issa Diap or Mazrawi, but when he went to square up and close his space, you could see him close physically closing his legs because he was worried that Mbake was gonna make him. Yes. Oh, yeah. Had he widened his stance at an angle, right? He probably would have deflected or at least put it off a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:40

Um, so that it didn't go on target. So I was like, wow, man, that's just like split second decision making.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

Well, cool. I think we're gonna wrap this one up. Um out here in uh a lovely evening in Boyle Heights. Um, and so that's been it for us. Left side of the pitch. Uh later, y'all. Free Palestine. We want football. Peace.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dearest Mexicans for Trump. You won't ever be white. You bought the bullshit propaganda and they got you like spikes. Fourth Amendment violating my constitutional rights. Rachel profiling's illegal, but they targeted my people in the fall in la frented. This is for me, gente, born and raised in no plan. Hell, I'm represented. A country defended by immigrants, but still they do what's dirty. I guess the white power decided we weren't worthy. The way you say white supremacy doesn't exist. I can help but notice they control all the politics. You're laying the straps in the cover up, we ain't fighting fast and promise that you lie about that I'm just kidding, getting messy. That's these besty.

unknown 1:02:30

I'm not calling like a cart, but I'm back.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:32

I'm on top of like a card on the cart. Most of the work, and they fit a fight with cart, no, no, feature face is on the start. I left my right fucking phone with no gasoline. I'm not side of white house with a mask, the gasoline light is up to man, it's like a mistake, Mr. Epstein. Who's in a room with a miner who placed the mount green? The real enemies of small leader billionaires. They need to all get waxed off like some pussy bears. Drag that body with a chariot downtown square. They got money for war, but no health care. Fuck.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:06

Brown skin brown eyes brown in the sticker cabinet.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:09

We're all business is opening all the course and clap.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:12

Brown skin brown, I brown in the sticker cabinet.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:15

We're all business is opening all the course of clap.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:17

Brown skin, brown, I brown in the sticker cabinet.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:20

Brown business is opening all across the planet.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:23

Brown skin brow, I brown in the sticker cabinet.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:26

Brown business is opening all across the planet. Hey, Scott, bring it back another bang. It's loud beats.