Will we finally see the best version of Messi? | Copa América Final Preview w/ Herc Gomez

Herc Gomez joins Rog to preview the Copa América Final between Argentina and Colombia. Before they do, Herc shares his thoughts on U.S. Soccer’s decision to fire coach Gregg Berhalter and tells us who should manage the USMNT next. The duo then discusses why this Lionel Messi-led Argentina squad is different than the one that won the World Cup and what makes Colombia such a dangerous final opponent.

Presented by Dove Men + Care

00:00 – Intro
02:51 – Herc on Gregg Berhalter news
15:26 – What kind of manager does the USMNT need?
23:57 – Copa Final preview
28:35 – Dove Men+Care Performance Player to Watch: Lionel Messi
32:33 – Importance of Emi Martinez
34:40 – How good are Colombia?

#copaamerica #argentina #messi #colombia

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it’s Raj here at an epic time we’re here to talk a little Greg burh halter and the breaking news that came yesterday out of US soccer but also to tell you all you need to know about the 2024 Copa America final baby we’ve reached the final of this Copa Das cop pass after 32 games sprinkled over 25 days in 14 different venues across the United States a champion will finally be crowned lifting a freshly polished silver trophy on the Hallow ground of Miami’s Hard Rock stadium oh great Wings a stadium which has hosted six Super Bowls four youw concerts and most importantly Wrestlemania 28 where the rock took down John CNA oh respect the people’s elbow this past month it’s been about everything we could possibly want from the Copa outside of you know the United States actually playing good football we’ve watched thousands of DieHard supporters most of whom have had to Google how to remove sky blue face paint we’ve seen multiple think pieces about the correlation between good football and drinking mate we’ve also seen the kind of questionable prison rules refereeing decisions that make us almost I said almost Miss Anthony Taylor and here to help me make sense of it all and to look ahead to Sunday’s Showdown for the AES between defending Champion Argent Ina oh one time winner Colombia it’s a gentu looks like he could unplug his headphones and still hold his own on the pitch just like he did for your US Men’s National Team when he played in the 2007 Copa against both Argentina and Columbia I think you lost to them both well done sir from ESPN where he’s been hosting football Americas almost nightly it’s been amazing to see his beautiful face on Sports Center on the RS he’s the host of Vos here on the Blazers media Network too it’s my friend it’s the mighty hurt Gomez Raj it is so good to see you my man I missed you I missed your intros like I’ve been working non-stop and nothing has brought a smile to my face like your intro so it’s very good to see you did they not give you all this smoke when you’re on Sports Center baby oh my goodness I’m just happy they know my name on Sports Center come on get on it Keith Overman or whever his hosting Sports Center nowadays hook we’re going to get Linder LC get on it um H we are going to get to the Kung Fu Fighting that is the impending cop of final but first we got to acknowledge the incredible team at Dov men plus care who bring me such joy into making this podcast possible because it’s a show which we can talk about this seismic news out of US soccer Greg burh halter who was fired on Wednesday afternoon while they think that everyone assumed they were all too busy watching England manager Gareth South Gates post game interview and wouldn’t be refreshing our Twitter feeds and notice Greg presumably even as we speak is packing his office into a cardboard box which I like to think of is just fill with Starbucks mugs and sneaker wipes and customize aj1s trust me nobody has taken this news harder than the shoe surgeon but in a news release US soccer sporting director Matt Crocker the man who’d rehired Greg Balter after rate in the round of 16 exit in the 2022 World cup said that bur halter and the US team had not met quote benchmarks although he said there’s been progress made but now is the time to turn that progress into winning now when Greg was hired December 2018 the United States was 25th in the FIFA rankings almost six years later oh we’re 11th sounds great it doesn’t feel so good we’ve conquered conquer trinkets along the way Gold Cup leagues cups plural I felt like we we never had a signature win there we never took on a big team uh and beat them outside of flailing Mexico balter’s record against non-c conquer CF opponents was pretty horrible herk can you put into words what progress this United States team made in the past six years as you say it I know a lot of fans Raj want blood in times like this right they want to kick a guy while he’s down in Greg bur halter uh they want to see him go out the window onto the next but you do have to give thanks to Greg bar halter for what he did he took a a very young team in a very dark moment and qualified him for the World Cup and in qualifying that very young team for the World Cup you dominated a Mexican team that you’ve not dominated in years and probably ever in this fashion winning constant titles albeit in your Confederation but that’s what you had to win and he won those he got this team out of the World Cup group phase a bunch of teenagers a bunch of kids into the second round that Benchmark was cleared and you also have to give thanks to how he went about the Dual National process in recruitment there are a lot of players um like serginho Des Anthony Robinson uh Eunice Musa a Ricardo Pepe that I really think he went about it the right way even the ones he didn’t land a julan AO those type of guys speak very well of a Greg Balter I really think he went about it the right way so there’s a lot of positives in the beginning and how he did SE things but the reality is a lot of these benchmarks were not only not met but there was a regression with this team and when people look at this firing I urge them not to see it as a knee-jerk reaction to a Copa America group phase to a bad moment against Panama where Timothy waya gets red carded it’s it’s much more than that I mean we can go back to the Fiasco that was the post-world cup the giovan Raina and The raina’s Balter Saga we can go back to the allegations made made we can go back to how it just would have been easier to walk away and yet they chose to go with Greg bar halter and in that time the regression you can bring up the top 20 record that Greg berhalter has or lack thereof you could bring up the poor Copa America group phase you could bring up the lack of winning or even competing away in cona Cafe and all these things are accumulation of and quite frankly it looked like the players got complacent we can sit here and talk Greg ber halter for as long as we want but these players a lot of these players vouched for Greg bur halter and it looks like they got complacent rested on their Laurels and now Greg bur halter is out of a job so we have to put a lot of blame here as well on the players and Matt Crocker in a statement Greg said for his part he was quote proud of the identity we built on and off the field and I’d be candid you know to add to the accolades the achievements of the Greg burh halter tenure I said last night uh on our YouTube reaction uh show to this news that to me Greg’s greatest achievement was to restore a sense of Good Vibes around the US Men’s National Team Camp um Brotherhood in the words of the players it was impossible to interview one of the US regulars without hearing that word at least twice that that kind of Brotherhood have been totally fritted away in that 14-month Purgatory of interim management post failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but on the field and there is a thin line I think between Brotherhood and Good Vibes and that complacency just like there’s a thin line between love and hate there is a thin line between feeling great and feeling just too good uh too uh too settled uh entitled privilege it’s a Sloop uh from one wonderful thing to to an erratic lack of self-control that ends to the Tim weer right hook which ended it all but on the field H where we’ve had no definitive number one in the runup to World Cup 2022 we’ve had a shuffling search for a striker that’s been ongoing with a Personnel Ever Changing we’ve not even had a defined Captain what do you see as this team’s identity right now what does the next manager have to build them well you’ve got to build on a young exciting group you’ve got a lot of speed and transition you when disciplined when they try to play a pragmatic approach I think it suits them this is a team that can cause a lot of trouble and I don’t care who you are they can cause you trouble regardless of what you thought of England in the World Cup regardless of what you thought of Brazil pre-op America this is a team that when they’re in their best moment at their ceiling can give any team in the world fits that’s not the issue here the issue is when you try to play a progressive style of football that they get in trouble with when you try building out of the back in a constant way against opponents who quite frankly will look for that it’s that constant need for validation under Greg ber halter that has got the US men’s Nation te in trouble I understand you want to change the way the World Views American soccer but the rest of the world international football they don’t care they just want to win look at two programs that are constant winners in the European side France and the South American side Argentina these two teams are constantly playing in finals and they have world class players like an mbappe a Griezmann anel Di Maria Leonel Messi and they don’t try to play progressive football they are pragmatic they are stingy and they are lethal when need be and they have worldclass players why does a US man’s know team want to be different or think and can play differently than World football World football is not like that so this constant need for validation like we can play with the best of them this style this way has gotten them in trouble so I will say it’s a very interesting pool for whoever the manager is whoever the next manager is I think there’s a lot of material to play with I could not agree more furthermore like the fans have France and England I mean England have just crapped themselves all the way to a Euro final they’ve mediocre themselves towards a Euro final um but their fans are not sitting around waiting to be dazzled by the United States Men’s National Team and be showing that the Americans can play ball too the only thing that ultimately matters that speaks of that it’s not the style it’s just winning which I do believe this program can do there was a naivity um and a very slow learning curve to this area you could say the grexit has been coming you can say you can’t make an omelet without breaking some Gregs but in this second coming has been surreal a vocal majority let’s call it that of us fans were never went over by this second phase that noise turned to 11 after us were grouped in the Copa forcing all of us to both learn and use group as a verb that may be one of your greatest contributions to the world of football herk it’s definitely up there m rocken now says that the search for the next coach is already underway this is a quick segue I hope to God the search has been going on for months to be candid because it should have been ultimately strategic football programs are always planning for Plan B that’s a segue we do not have time to get into today and we will see but it has to be said some remarkable names some some deeply aspirational names have been thrown out we need to start with one former Liverpool manager oh the tonic Care Bear Jurgen klopp man who spent his summer going to Taylor Swift concerts becoming everyone’s favorite Instagram dad teasing American fans with his cryptic July Fourth Post in which he reflected upon his love of our nation this morning Miguel Delan in in the independent reported that contacts have been made to klopp’s Representatives these kind of stories ultimately always have different elements the truth different reps different sides of the party briefing the media for different reasons I will say it is a it is a scintilating prospect the opportunity for a manager to be the face of American football during a World Cup on home turf is honestly for an agent it would be the most commercially compelling uh thing for your manager to do what 18 months and you get to be famous in the United States forever with all the commercial riches that go with it what truth do you put on the club United States rumors HK I thought US soccer was slightly allergic to urans uh they they may be but that was a different regime let let’s hope let’s hope the ambition of this current regime after what they I assume would see as a failure the post Greg berhalter 2022 uh experiment they would need to go a different route show ambition and regardless if they can actually land Jurgen klopp only Jurgen klopp knows if he really wants the job but if they’re ‘s an outside chance and there’s somebody a manager like Jan klopp who’s flirting with you who is just dangling the carrot out you’ve got to try you have to try it’s been debunked that the money is not an issue here and we look at the women’s side Emma is regarded by many as the best manager in the women’s game they reset the market on the women’s side to go get the best manager in the game regardless if they can land the best manager in the game on the men’s side you have to show the ambition it’s a World Cup on home soil a singular moment in time that you can capitalize on and if there’s a chance if you’re telling me there’s a chance shoot your shot whether you land him or not that’s the shot you should be taking y can klopp come be with us we will send David Hasselhoff the other way in this trade I know Germans love that man um I personally promise I will build you a padel court because I know that will tempt you that will sweeten the deal gfop at B Domingo 86 inad and said hear me out let’s offer Jurgen klopp both the managership and the presidency you know what I will pull out all the stops if that’s what it takes Matt Crocker is dropping hints about what he’s thinking he’s hinted he’s going big serial winner I think is the the word that he’s used big money let breathe life into the other long shot massive names Carlo andelot po chatino also fanfit into the picture a lot and they rattle through the back page speculation alongside more realistic suggestions like Steve chundo from lafc remarkable human being um a relatively raw manager hard not to see him almost been Greg burh halter 2.0 in terms of his experience although obviously his Bundesliga uh playing background will probably give him a very different POV Wilford nony from the Columbus Crew and CBS pundit turn French Olympic manager tiar on re former US men national team player Freddy Adu who’s somehow getting a lot of lot of air right now he’s recommended irve Renard the most joyous gentleman who’s never heard of shirt buttons who needs them he’s coach eight different national teams that’s swathy deeply handsome human being most recently Saudi Arabia and the French women I believe if he gets his ninth team he automatically qualifies for a free hotel stay herk what kind of Coach does this team need let let’s talk about that in order to not only prepare for the 2026 World Cup but to progress tactically mentally oh towards the team of our dreams let me stay with Jurgen Klo for a second I love the style the heavy metal right the the in-your-face transition High Press that you can be at times you know Full Throttle type of football in a tournament if you can be pragmatic at times and just efficient with your speed and transitions you can hurt plenty of teams let’s listen nobody’s saying win the World Cup but you go to a team like Morocco who last World Cup did wonders and played a very pragmatic style of football it was almost 11 guys hanging from the crossbar and everybody defended and you transition and it was set pieces I heard nobody talking about how ugly their football was I heard an amazing run and they were in a group with Belgium the the golden generation Croatia the World Cup finalist they got out to Spain they got got out to Portugal they got out and they faced France it was a valiant effort and everybody was talking about that great run there’s no reason why on home soil the US couldn’t do something like that when in the past we’ve seen the turkeys we’ve seen the South koreas we’ve seen the morcos we’ve seen these type of teams be the surprise teams you can do that on home soil so the manager is crucial he’s going to play a massive part in this I would prefer a manager that’s not so much Progressive in style and can get the most out of those players that screams a guy like Jorgen klopp now whether you land him or not the manager comes in has to understand it’s a singular moment in time to do something special uh and I think managers like this are few and far between there are tournament managers out there I think uran Klo can be one of them a Jose Mourinho a Thomas Tule those type of managers are tournament managers people don’t like hearing Thomas Tule right because it’s a long season but if you look at the seven game span of the tournament season is in he gets his teams to compete those are the type of managers that I want at the helm but that dude’s Never Going To Give Up Club football he sees himself the elite right now to jump into International Football you ultimately that’s you know you want to work on your golf game you become an International Football manager you want to take a break from the stress or you’re kind of towards the end of your career I mean realistically what kind of a gentleman do you believe within that realm of of non fanfiction if you could name one man to lead this team who would it be I go back to Jurgen Klo because this is an 18th Monon job I’m not asking the manager stick around and be here for four more years after the World Cup you know this is a singular moment I go back to singular moment so I want a man for this job in that moment and to me the perfect manager would be a uran Klo I know we can easily throw around names like Zin zidan Pep Guardiola Carlo ancelotti uh pochettino who’s never won anything you know these type of managers and they could be realistic because it’s an 18month job you’re done after this I don’t expect this manager to stick around you think that’s Madness you don’t think they’re going to want defend the title the Nations league title can you imagine Yan you got to do a second cycle this’s the Gold Cup coming baby um by the way oh just in as we pod from David onstein oh my God this is dark we spoke it into existence and we’ve killed it Jurgen klopp says nine to the US Men’s National Team that’s according to David onstein who knows what he’s talking about um he’s reporting Legendary X Liverpool manager oh I’m going to take down all the posters that I’d um Photoshop Jurgen wearing State sweatshirts um that are over my bed I’m going to take them all down he has reiterated his intention to take a break from football come and take a break from football over here y it’s what the cold cup is baby oh conera H isn’t con C the ultimate break from football absolutely you know to what you were saying earlier um how these things get planted Raj US soccer here can now say well we tried we tried our ambition was there they didn’t want us and quite frankly they’re going to be to keep trying and trying and trying because fans aren’t going to be content if it’s with all due respect and I say this with all due respect of Steve chundo who’s catching Strays right now like Steve chundo had a very good playing career and he’s been a very good young manager but I think the ambition right now is to move on from the domestic American coach and get a Next Level coach but US soccer right now with this singular move and you know how these things get planted into the Press can now say we tried Jurgen clop they can move on to the next and can now say we tried that coach what I can say is my phone is blowing up um as we speak and a couple of journalists who I trust and are well sourced ultimately said that um the approach from US soccer was serious and genuine um so what a take from this we’re now turning into Sky Sports with some roing breaking news together her I think what we can take from this um is a sense of positivity and optimism if this was and it is said to be a very keen approach uh I think it shows the US soccer in terms of their ambition at least at one end of the spectrum are looking big trying uh to do something biger it doesn’t mean every coach that’s in their portfolio is going to be that kind of a big whale but God speed huren by the way even though you’ve said no will always be around for a second opinion I mean honestly at the end of the day I do believe uh that the United States powers that be and and we have to be clear here um Don Garber the commissioner of MLS is on the board of US soccer and is always in everything he does he’s incredibly influential and is a a deeply powerful uh operator within the American Football landscape um there is no doubt they originally wanted an American coach an American face of this team to lead it um at this American World Cup 2026 even though we know honestly I said this a lot last night it when a lot deeper than they going to have time to do so now and it hurts me to say this but we need to be honest American coaching for various reasons uh is still light years behind the gold standard in Europe we’re still very much a coaching Backwater hurts to say it uh but it’s true to me there’s nothing American fans love more than winning and so there’s nothing we would love more than a coach who wins never mind where they’re from but what traits do you believe believe the next United States coach should have to both reinvigorate this squad and to reinvigorate the United States supporter base which I I actually think in this moment is equally as important yeah I don’t think it could be a lowprofile coach um not only in name but in stature you can’t have a softspoken coach I think right now you need you need to inspire um the fan base bring back that belief and with these players there is a growing sense among the American fan base and pundits that these players got complacent that these players were running the team that they were choosing what happened and when it happened I believe they need a manager these players to keep them on their toes every single time they can’t feel like their position on the US Men’s National Team is safe they need to feel uncomfortable just as they would at their clubs they need to feel like every single time they play for that Jersey could be the last time they played for that Jersey God bless I had a nightmare hurt last night where you soccer went out and got um I show speed they got speed to come in and be the manager um you know show the world just barking at yeah by the way when you now you’re saying that I’m open to it I’m open to it I love to hear his opening speech we’re going to show the world that American football woof woof um you know what rather than go off the Speed deepend let’s move on uh to football sweet football and Sunday’s Copa final um combable get their dream Messi in the City built with his own hands Miami with his defending Champion your 15 time Copa America winners Argentina World Cup champions Argentina who in this tournament which you’ve watched every single second of with the most Keen Eye you I’ve seen them play with a with quite fascinating complex deaf combination of of football Arte and football for um you the beautiful side they’re capable of they’re also my God willing to drop an elbow um and get into the dark arts and match anybody uh in terms of the intensity of that department so watching a Caravaggio painting uh in a d Das climber cool shirts theyve got the ability to skillfully slice a team apart they can [ __ ] house with the best of them I think the apog is 30-year-old midfielder Rodrigo deul honestly classic showroom demonstration of both under the leadership of 46y Old Coach lonar scalone he’s re-energized Argentina they played 61 games in the past five years they won 45 they’ve lost only two to Uruguay last Fall’s World Cup qualifiers and that in probable 2-1 World Cup lost to Saudi Arabia the Buster Douglas of Group C under irve Renard um in their Opening match of that tournament herk when you’ve watched Argentina the Copa America 20 24 Argentina what differs if anything from the team that won the World Cup less than two years ago uh the level of lonel Messi it’s not at the level that he was at the World Cup he scored seven goals at the World Cup I don’t care how many penalty kicks it was he was a man possessed he was on a mission he’s not quite been healthy throughout this tournament he he picked up an injury versus Chile um in his leg and that really slowed him down versus Ecuador it’s probably the worst game I’ve seen for Messi and Argentina in quite sometime and I thought they were very fortunate to get out with the win albe it in penalty kicks where lonel Messi actually misses a penalty kick he tries to panenka uh dominga the goalkeeper hits a crossbar and it doesn’t go in I thought they were very fortunate in that game Ecuador played them off the field and quite frankly Jordi kaedo uh the Ecuadorian Center forward comes on had a moment to finish the game off in the dying seconds to that game a point blank header that he misses so I repeat the level of lonel Messi in Argentina in this tournament is not comparable or comparable to what was Qatar they just played their best game versus Canada and you have to give Canada major props to what they did in this tournament and how they went about it but the best game that we’ve seen from Argentina has come against Canada their side of the bracket we could draw parallels to the English Euro side of the bracket and how maybe things have lined up in their favor and the majority of the dangers on the other side of the bracket and how Comal and conaf and this cop America have made the road to the final very accessible and it goes through Miami which we know is home for lonel Messi you look at the other side of the bracket Colombia 28 game unbeaten streak urai one of the hottest teams right now in South America Brazil for as limited as their player pool is today and the problems they have is still Brazil and you look at everything on that side of the bracket and what they had to do to get to this final and how it kind of lines up for Argentina and you’re like whoa this is interesting but Argentina is one of the most dangerous teams in the world you just said their record they only have two losses and plus 60 games they’re a team that’s not played up to their level right now which I think is scary because at any moment they can play up to their level and play you off the field but it’s not been easy for him and we’ve got to keep that in mind but they do hold players that can change the game and one of of those is Messi who is arguably the greatest player who’s ever played the game who can at any time under the lights turn it on and the other one is anel Di Maria will be playing his last International fixture for Argentina the last time we see anel Di Maria in a uniform will be this final and remember his last two finals Raj a goal against Brazil Copa America Final in Brazil match winner a goal against France in the Qatar final okay he’s got a big moment play about him it’s his last time he will ever wear this Argentine Jersey he always looks to me like a football painter as if painted by miglani but we have to choose one man for our Dove men plus care performance player to watch and it can only be the one the only linum Ms bger um lonel Messi it’s been 19 years and three different Batman actors since Leo Messi made his Senor debut for Argentina he came on as a sub during a friendly against Hungary August 2005 I think he was on the field for less than a minute before being sent off but 186 caps have ensued 109 goals he’s now 37 years of age he’s that’s actually five years older um than the minum Mar’s actual dad um he’s come to the end of his International career he said I’m conscious these are the last battles what a poet um came into the tournament as you say battling a hip adductor he was rested for the group stage game against Peru he missed a penalty against Ecuador didn’t score his first first goal and be a spoiler against Jesse Marsh in Canada in that semifinal um it was 10 years ago that the Irish journalist Ken early he wrote that when Messi played of Argentina quote teammates gave him the ball then waited to see what he’d do with it though some of them felt like they weren’t worthy to combine with him H this tournament has taught us that is no longer the case what has shifted how have Messi’s teammates learned to play with him instead of just just around them that’s a great question because people don’t realize how many different players Argentina that pool have had around Messi and they’ve not been able to win I mean 2010 you know cope America’s before that 2014 they made it to the final like Messi was carrying that team if not for Gonzalo iguin and the terrible misses like Messi has his first World Cup championship in 2014 15 16 Copa America finals you know the 18 uh way they went out to to France in that World Cup to 20 finally winning or 21 excuse me finally winning the cop America 22 the World Cup there have been so many different players around him more talented players than they have now but the key is these players this young group because Messi is the veteran of this group but this young group have learned how to Rally around Messi how to play with Messi I go back to the Ecuador game for Argentina in this Copa America that Midfield Enzo Fernandez not up to Snuff Rodrigo the Paul wasn’t playing well um Alexis mallister wasn’t his normal self they need to be strong they need to be running for Messi so Messi can do what he does and that’s where Julian Alvarez his strike partner comes so much into Play The Man City man is a dangerous forward can score a variety of ways but he’s on there to do the dirty work for Messi so Messi at 37 years old can shine I think they’ve learned how to work with and for Messi and that has allowed scalone to get the best out of Messi and I repeat we’ve not seen the best out of Messi this tournament which is a scary thing it is a scary thing as is the fact that he’s playing the Hard Rock him naturally doesn’t do it for commercial reasons just being such a hard rock effici a that he just loves loves loves um their wings but you mentioned scalone the young manager pointed 2018 now the real low for the argentinia program knocked out of the World Cup by France in the round of 16 uh a lot more senior uh possibilities who could have taken the job Diego Simone Maro poino um Diego maradon when he was appointed called him a kid um but he proceeded to win the World Cup having won the 2019 Copa he ended up beating Italy in the finalis which pcks the Copa Champion against the Euros winner just his calm his sense of cool his deep man management uh has been remarkable nowhere more than in the goalkeeper Department um I think he played seven different goalkeepers in his first 49 games before giving Emmy Martinez the chance he debuted in a World Cup qualifier against Chile June 2021 started the sumers coopa but only because Argentina’s then First Choice was Ill um but since then he’s been more of an impact player than pretty well any other argentinia player not named Leonel Messi I’m not trying to think about what kind of gestures he’ll meet when the coopa trophy uh is awarded possibly if they win in Miami but I can’t not think about it he seems to have taken the goalkeeper’s queue to make yourself big and just applied it to his whole personality he’s trash talked intimidated hip thrusted strutted his way to nine penalty saves in shootouts for Argentina he’s contributed to his opponent’s three misses too along the way you’ve played as a striker against big personality Keepers how does having a number one like Martinez Behind These players affect how the entire team plays CU his mentality his feelings of invincibility could it set the tone for the other 10 in front of him absolutely I think often times when we talk about deu Martinez the Antics are the first thing we talk about and it gets in the way of how actually good of a goalkeeper he is for my money the best International goalie in the game the numbers are there and I’m a United fan and it’s been terrible to be a United fan and to think that Eric ten hog went out for Onana when he had Deo Martinez at his disposal and he said no no no no we got this oh na come on in it’s insane to me how good this goalkeeper is the Antics to me are antics but he’s a very good goalkeeper kulani World Cup final the massive stick save that could have been a different story if he’s not there so when you have a goalkeeper behind you that is so sure of himself and backs it up the way he does on the field and constantly keeps you in games oh man that’s a game changer as much of a game changer as lonel Messi it really is God speed there is another team in the final and they are magnificent Colombia who appear in just their second cop Prof fire the last one came in 2001 when they beat I crap you not Mexico yes young listeners Mexico will once good at football they won that game 1- nil to win the tournament in 2021 won they face Argentina in the semifinals they lost on penalties oh it was Emmy Martinez who came up with three massive saves and Los cafeteros are currently on this remarkable 28 game unbeaten streak stretching back to February 20122 when they lost to Argentina during World Cup qualifiers they’ve not lost since iname manager Nesta Lorenzo he’s worn the same suit for every game and after Wednesday nights dog fight of a win over Uruguay he said until you overcome your weaknesses you cannot grow that’s a life truth not just a footballing one H what weaknesses have Colombia overcome what’s made them so resilient so dangerous to me they’ve all the best team in the tournament so far they have been the best team in the tournament I mean I’ll draw a parallel to the Euros uh they’re the Spain of this tournament that’s how good they’ve been and they’ve got incredible balance incredible balance and they can hurt you in a variety of ways there are teams that don’t have a plan b or can’t be versatile in how they attack you and how they hurt you Colombia can they didn’t make it to the World Cup in 2022 for a lack of talent they did not make it because they couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net Raj they had seven straight games where they couldn’t score a goal in World Cup qualification and they’re out but this run goes back to that World Cup qualification process they’re a very well balanced team defensively in that Midfield whether it’s Richard Rios or Aras on one side or Jefferson LMA who’s been one of the best players in this tournament in front of him Cordova the way he holds the ball the way he runs jamus Rodriguez who looks like a different player when he’s with this Columbia national team his Club level and you’re an Everton fan you will know the lack of Club level has there you go has not been lost upon fans they understand what he’s not at the club level now but when he puts that yellow Jersey on he transforms six assists in this tournament listen to what I’m saying the best playmaking left foot at number 10 in this tournament is jamus Rodriguez he’s been that good Luis Diaz who’s a game changer an exactor who can absolutely turn a game on his head and when they were faced with adversity when one of their best players in Daniel Munoz who’s a right back and I’m saying is one of their best players was their leading goal scorer in this tournament a player that gives them so much being an outlet outlet on that right hand side foolishly gets a red card at the end of the first half so you got to go into the second half against a high octane one man up uru team coached by Marcelo beela pressing you from at all angles they find a way to not only win but get constant opportunities in front of the Uruguay net where if Mato Ube the second half substitute in the Midfield is a little more precise on his day he scores two and it’s a 3-1 Victory because I go back to Camilo Vargas their goalkeeper the Colombian goalkeeper how many times was he actually tested Luis Suarez had one rocked off the post that was about it I never saw him make a save so if you go into the actual shots on target I believe Uruguay had one one shot on target Colombia is as balanced and as dangerous as a of a team as you will find in any competition around the world and there’s a reason they are going on 28 games unbeaten they’re the real deal here let’s talk about hamz for a second I don’t just mean that cuz he’s inevita Legend play less than 5 hours of football for Brazil sou Paulo is domestic Club this season um he was left out of Colombia Squad during the last coopa and he’s almost like a footballing Michael Jordan me um he took that personally he has been the best player at this Copa um the the the Colombian Jersey as it has so often in his career oh sit so well on him competed more passes than any other player in this tournament against Uruguay as you say became the first player to have six assists in one coper ever turns 33 tomorrow but he’s never looked as threatening I mean it looks like the Jamz Rodriguez who won the Golden Boot of the 2014 World Cup do you understand her this this rodriges son and what will Argentina need to do to to to control him so I look at the spine of this team Camilo Vargas davson Sanchez Jefferson LMA jamus Rodriguez jamus Rodriguez through the spine and this team is the heartbeat of this team he can controls the temple as jamus Rodriguez goes Colombia goes as he heats up Colombia heats up whether it’s a setpiece or the rhythm of the game or a nice little pass or a switch of the field he sets the tempo I thought Uruguay were very good in the opening sequences of this game in controlling jamus Rodriguez and that was banur the player that Marcelo beela put to man markk chamus Rodriguez jamus Rodriguez walks One Way betan cor walked with him you’ve got to try to make the game go through somebody else if you’re Argentina I don’t know if that’s going to be Enzo Fernandez I don’t know if that’s going to be Lelo if he comes in I don’t know if it’s going to be a Rodrigo the whoever the case may be in that Midfield or by committee you cannot allow jamus Rodriguez to dictate the tempo of this game because he will murder you he will kill the game he will make it a Colombian possession game he will make it a game where they loow you to sleep and then a change of attack and it’s 1 V one with Luis Diaz or a set piece and it’s a Jefferson LMA or a Davon Sanchez who are very very good in what they do you cannot allow Colombia to be in this game because of jamus Rodriguez if you can take jamus Rodriguez out of this equation Argentina will have a good match so it’s time H set the scene for us what do you expect from Sunday’s final and who’s leaving with that trophy I just sat here and told you how International Football has been done dominated by France and Argentina but I cannot ignore the two levels of the team and what Colombia has shown me not just in this tournament but in those 28 games is a resolve in a willingness to beat you in a variety of ways I just think they have more in that tool kit and I don’t know how fit Leonel Messi is and we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room these fields these fields have been subpar they’ve been heavy I look at a Columbia team while they played man down and it’s going to be a day less of rest they had the luxury all Tournament of resting players versus Panama the likes of jamus Rodriguez Luis Diaz their important players were coming out Aras Richard Rio they were coming out in the 60th minute it’s a more well-rested team physically emotionally psychologically they are a team that right now is in a better moment versus what I think will be a team in Argentina that is still a little unsure themselves because they’ve not been tested in that way and when they have been tested to the likes of eador of an Ecuador um they left it up to chance they left it up to penalty kicks but I do not know who the home team will be here I see an unbelievable home atmosphere every time Colombia plays I see a very Pro messy crowd everywhere he goes it’s in Miami very rich in Colombians I really do feel this is a pick them but since it’s a pick them and since I don’t understand the health of lonel Messi and I’m not seen him at his best I will take with the ey test Colombia I think this will be a game that goes now there is overtime in the final there has not been overtime till this final there will be overtime so I take a I’m going to go one- one draw in overtime I think it’s going to be Colombia to outlast Argentina God bless I had actually uh on my game uh notes all we know is it’s going to be close there’ll be violence but in the end there’ll be debu Martinez glor uh on penalties that game 800 p.m. uh on big fox it’ll be the finale oh he’ll be your last Lis America get your hankys ready uh for that one one quick one before we wrap up uh and then one serious question I do need to ask you one of the um pieces of uh of Wonder of this tournament was Canada’s Journey um into the semifinal um Jesse Marsh has had that team for seven games teams um you can look at them and say they barely scored a goal they had in The Knockout rounds a kind draw you know however you want to marginalize what he did there’s there’s a theory it wasn’t his success it was really the legacy of John Herdman can you just put into words what you saw uh because to me it was joyous that the beginning of a Jesse Marsh Redemption story for him probably all the sweeter as the United States Men’s National Team inluded did can you just give us your your sense your quick sense a quick burst on how Jesse Mar should be feeling uh at the end of Canada’s Cooper Journey Jesse Marsh should be feeling a bit of redemption I know he feels like he was hard done by US soccer and he was the man for the job and they pulled the rug from underneath him Canada and Jesse Marsh had a tournament that the US Men’s National Team and the Mexican national team could only dream of they are where these two Nations wish they were in this tournament and I can’t imagine how many people in Canada watch the most important game in the history of the men’s Canadian soccer program Jesse Marsh now has something to build on with a very very interesting player pool and they’re a team to watch out for in this region God bless and as we speak his name news just breaking Jesse Marsh said in a statement issued by Canada Soccer that he’s not considering nor interested in the position at you US soccer he’s completely focused on Canada of course he is I honestly think the best thing for us soccer is that Jesse M stays there builds that program we have a true Wonder rivalry uh to the north one last question for you her this tournament the Copa has been a thing of Wonder for this nation to host but it’s not been without its its fo balls you mentioned the the truly terrible fields which have been shameful uh in some places um the off an empty stadia for team who were not Argentina Colombia or Mexico you know we know Comm ball marketed this tournament horribly it was very chaotic behind the scenes um the television ratings have been reportedly half of what the Euros have been which which is quite extraordinary um one competition’s in Europe in the afternoon us time the other’s on home turf in prime time um and I know it’s not K Ball’s mission to grow the game in the United States but the combination of the United States men’s national teams profound failure and I think the low impact generally of this tournament um in comparison to the delirium of the Euros um has been paintful for me to watch to be candid I know you’re super close to it herk I know you’ve lived it every night you’ve been in the belly of the Copa beast but in terms of growing the game in the United States do you think the Copa has been a success or is all of it happened inside our are glorious but small and needing to grow soccer bubble yeah the vacuum we live in is is a dangerous one because we got to realize what the rest of the world sees and what the rest of the world sees is a dry run for the World Cup that’s been a disaster these fields I mean the first group Phase game you had players coming out to injury the stands the fields the violence we saw in the Columbia urug Uruguay game after I mean heartbreaking images we see of DWI Nunes consoling his son on the field we see players attacking fans and and fans attacking players and and whatever the case may be who did it why happened that’s irrelevant the rest of the world sees these barbaric acts the rest of world sees a country that’s supposed to host the World Cup in less than two years and thinks how are they equipped to do this do they not know the history of these two nations in South America and what happens in a liberta lores match and and what can can happen if you don’t have the proper security and thinks this is okay so while we live in this bubble this small vacuum the rest of world does not and they see what’s going on and that could be detrimental to the growth in this sport in this country God way dark but I think important that uh for this to end on um I will say I’ve loved every second of what you’ve done on football Americas you a magic man her it’s been magical to live this journey out through your eyes to you um and Tom more Hercules Gomez thank you Raj anytime thanks my man Big Love courage Vamo