KICK OFF |
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POCH SPEAKS!
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Mauricio Pochettino missed us all, which is quite nice. International managers tend to go into hiding during gaps between their national teams' playing. And why shouldn’t they? This is their time. Well, the USMNT don’t play again until March. Yet Poch showed his face for quite a revealing presser Thursday evening. He said there will be no more time for experiments. He called March friendlies “World Cup games.” And then he sneakily had a go at his players for speaking out about ticket pricing, and said the team’s job is to “perform.”
GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich asked some questions, got the scoop, and then wrote it all up…
Tolmich: “The break, though, has been useful. Pochettino and his staff have officially turned the page on 2025, truly beginning the run-up to the World Cup. Since the team last gathered, the U.S. have learned two of their three group stage opponents, making the path towards this summer feel a little bit more real. As MLS players have enjoyed their offseason and European players have continued to grind through the winter months, Pochettino and his staff have been working, taking advantage of these seemingly quiet moments to do vital preparation away from the public eye.”
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ALAN ROTHENBERG, THE HERO YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF
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Hands up if you think American soccer started with the 1994 World Cup. Wrong. Or, at least, that’s what the architect of American soccer, Alan Rothenberg, claims. The 86-year-old was a bright-eyed yet admittedly uneducated lawyer when the IOC put him in charge of soccer at the 1984 Olympics. And that tournament was when it really started. Or so he claims. Rothenberg has been there through it all, organizing the 84 Olympics, overseeing the ‘94 Men’s World Cup, and pushing for the 1999 Women’s World Cup. He is also a pretty good lawyer who helped build the Showtime Lakers and convinced Fidel Castro to have a team play soccer in America (which sounds an awful lot like a made-up sentence). Anyway, GOAL talked to the man about his incredible journey…
Hindle: “Rothenberg had United States soccer thrust upon him. His story is one of investment, interest, and then, over time, true love. What started with an agreement to organize an event took him to stadiums in Spain, meetings with then FIFA General Secretary Sepp Blatter in Los Angeles, and a seat at the table as the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup. It saw him play a central role in the expansion of the women’s game and help found Major League Soccer...Rothenberg, whether he wanted to be or not, is the architect of soccer in the United States.”
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TIME TO PREDICT A WORLD CUP ROSTER
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Poch is back. The World Cup is just over four months away. Times are good. Everyone is smiling. And who will be grinning big by June? Making a World Cup squad is a massive deal. This author has the occasional dream of bashing in a game-winner for England to win the whole thing (30 yards out, half volley, top right, shirt off IMMEDIATELY). Anyway, in the real, actual, conscious world, who will make the tournament for the USMNT? Tolmich made some fun predictions with this thing creeping up…
Tolmich: “Those decisions won't be easy. Throughout his tenure, Pochettino has made a point to introduce new faces, giving them the confidence and opportunity to play their way into the squad. Many of those new faces have taken those chances, putting "the old guard" on notice. In response, we've seen several familiar faces play the best stretches of soccer we've ever seen. It's exactly the competition Pochettino will want just a few short months before the World Cup kicks off.”
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THE USWNT ARE DANCING AGAIN
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Trinity Rodman tried really hard to get Emma Hayes to dance in the USWNT’s win over Paraguay. Hayes responded with a look that made it very clear she wasn’t playing along. But a few days later, when urged to do the same, the English coach caved, and the two enjoyed a rather lovely moment (one of those people is a far better dancer than the other). It was a nice bit of harmony for the USWNT, who took a much-changed squad into a couple of friendlies with lesser opponents, and absolutely battered both of them. But these things are useful, if only to have a look at who might be in the mix going forward. And GOAL’s Celia Balf evaluated where everyone is at after some quite lovely reporting from the fixtures…
Balf: “The results were emphatic. The USWNT cruised to shutout wins over Paraguay and Chile, scoring 11 goals across two matches while handing out debuts, first caps, and first international goals. With youth stepping into leadership roles and veterans setting the standard, January camp offered a clearer picture of who is pushing forward - and who may be slipping back - as Hayes’ vision takes shape.”
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PEPI SHOULD STAY WITH PSV…
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Every rumor during the transfer window is about who is going where, when it shall happen, and just how many dollars it will cost. And that’s sexy stuff. Seriously, it’s all soccer is, Twitter posts and hearsay, with footballers going from one place to another for too much money. And my GOD do we lap it all up! But what happens when you should really stay? Ricardo Pepi is an intriguing case study. He needed surgery on a rather gruesome broken arm, but is still, for some reason, supposedly on the verge of a move to Fulham. This author thinks it’s stupid - and emblematic of a wider problem - so a column was written about it…
Hindle: “A fit Pepi, no doubt, will be invaluable for the U.S. at a World Cup. And sure, after that, he might get the big money move he deserves. There will likely be a time when Pepi is wearing a Fulham kit, or playing in the Premier League. By no fault of his own, that time simply shouldn't be now.”
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WHICH TRANSFERS ARE ACTUALLY GOOD?
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Fine. We will cave. Transfers are juicy. Phones are supposed to light up. Group chats need content. And as much as this stuff is profoundly irritating, it’s pretty compelling every now and then. Antoine Semenyo to Man City could be game-changing. Marc Guehi’s move to the same club is equally handy. Endrick could have a bit of a career rebirth at Lyon after a disastrous Real Madrid spell. GOAL’s Mark Doyle, who never seems to sleep, has been on top of every move, with grades and analysis aplenty…
Doyle: “January is a notoriously bad time for buyers because nobody ever wants to sell top talent midway through the season. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Some clubs need to raise funds to balance the books, while others can be left with no option but to unload an unhappy player who has made it clear that he wants to join a stronger side. For the most part, though, getting good value for money is difficult. Of course, that won't stop teams splashing the cash this month, as they look to either maintain their momentum or turn their season around.”
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VIDEO REVIEW |
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What’s better than a goalie goal? A slow mo version of a goalie goal.
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AROUND THE GROUNDS |
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A few other things you need to know to impress your pals at the bar, ruin your social feed or generally be a snob about this sport:
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CHECKING THE MONITOR |
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The agony of conceding a late winner...
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POSTMATCH HIGHLIGHTS |
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Who will disappoint at the World Cup? Let’s find out.
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MATCHES NOT TO MISS |
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January 31: Premier League, Liverpool vs. Newcastle, 3 p.m. — NBC
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January 31: Premier League, Arsenal vs. Leeds, 10 a.m. — Peacock
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February 1: La Liga, Real Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano, 8 a.m. — ESPN+
- February 1: Premier League, Tottenham vs. Man City, 11:30 a.m. — Peacock
That’s all for this edition of The Rondo. Irritate me directly with questions/comments/insights/incorrect opinions @tom_Hindle_
Cheers for reading! |
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