KICK OFF |
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GIO REYNA TELLS HIS OWN STORY
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A few headlines cropped up last week when it was revealed that the directors of the HBO doc about the USMNT would not feature any content around Gio Reyna’s antics that *almost* kicked off the team at the 2022 World Cup. That whole saga - one of Gio basically being a bit of an as*hole - has followed him around since. It’s not a nice association, in fairness. Reyna was 19, and he was a bad teammate when he needed to be a good one.
But who is Reyna, outside of the guy who was tied to a controversy that rocked U.S. Soccer four years ago? Well, he sat down with GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich to tell his own story, on his own terms. The truth? He’s a normal dude who likes football, like, a lot…
Reyna, to Tolmich: “I feel like I'm definitely way less of a problem to the team than maybe people have thought in the past. I feel like that probably stems from that story more than anything, but I think I'm a team player. I enjoy being with this group of guys. I'm probably less of a problem for coaches than people think. "People think I just walk in every day and everyone looks, but no, I'm pretty normal. I just want to do my best and help my team.”
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A BEAMER, BELGIUM, AND A WORLD CUP DREAM
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Adam El Manawy has been to three World Cups. And soon, he will make it four. But this one is different. El Manawy is a keen filmmaker, and to mark the 2026 tournament, he is taking a 1982 BMW, shipping it to the United States, and driving cross-country to follow his beloved Belgium. There are two caveats, though: he has not booked any accommodations, and he has a one-way flight. It suggests, more than anything, that he has immense confidence in not only normal people but also Belgium’s football team. And it tends to be the hope that kills you. Either way, El Manawy is a madman with a cool car and a dream, and we love it. He talked to GOAL about his journey…
El Manawy to Hindle: “I want to see how it's going to be now in the U.S, really. And I understand that football is not the main sport, and that's going to be another element to my story, where I can actually kind of promote football and try to create games and everything with people who are not aware of the game itself and the sport.”
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MAURICIO POCHETTINO, WHO WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE
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In truth, some of Mauricio Pochettino’s messaging has been tricky to come across. He did a lot of rotating in his first 18 months or so on the job. Pretty much everyone got a look. This newsletter writer, a dual citizen, is a bit disappointed that he didn’t get a call. Everybody else did. Poch’s selection mishaps aside, things seem to be coming together. A tidy, friendly win against Senegal showed what a (nearly) full-strength USMNT can accomplish. So, why did he rotate for so long? If this group is that good, why was there so much experimentation? GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich breaks down Poch’s modus operandi…
Tolmich: “Pochettino's big moment has finally arrived. He's guided this U.S. men's national team group through chaos to get here. Progress has never been linear for this group and, in truth, it remains up for debate how much progress has been made at all. How much better is this team than the one Pochettino inherited? Are his players in a position to succeed this summer? Can this team actually establish that belief he called for, both within the group and outside of it?.”
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ERLING HAALAND IS HERE TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME
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It is strange that Erling Haaland has never played at a World Cup. He may only be 25, but the Norwegian has been a known commodity for long enough so that he should have been in a few of these now. But Norway haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1998. His 55 international goals aren’t wasted per se. Yet he should have played on a bigger stage. Sure, Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues are nice. But winning for your country? That’s even bigger. And now, he finally gets his moment. GOAL’s Mark Doyle thinks it’s long overdue…
Doyle: “Erling Haaland has openly embraced his reputation as the footballing equivalent of The Terminator. A few years ago, he even wished all of his followers on social media a 'Happy Haalandween' by sharing an image of himself portrayed as half-man and half-goal-scoring machine. However, to think of Haaland solely as a stone-cold killer in front of goal does a disservice to an emotional and colourful character who has never wanted anything but the best for his native Norway.” |
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IS THIS ENGLAND’S BEST TEAM EVER?
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Right, England look pretty good. There’s no way they can mess this up. Seriously, lads, it’s been 60 years, surely, with this team, with Thomas Tuchel as manager, you can bring football home, yeah? Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but there’s really no reason why England shouldn’t win the World Cup. Of course, the fatalism has to kick in. England’s history is that of failure, penalty shootout losses, and shirtless lads in bucket hats crying into their lager. It’s usually Don’t Look Back in Anger, not Sweet Caroline. So, if we were to semi-masochistically rank the best England squads to not get it right, what would it look like? Well…
Hindle, on 2006: So what went wrong? Well, England could never quite get on the same page. Team rivalries tore the squad apart, and Sven-Goran Eriksson wasn't strong enough personally or tactically astute enough to fix it. An injury to Owen in the third group-stage game didn't help, either. In the end, Rooney, who struggled with his own fitness throughout the tournament, was sent off against Portugal in the quarter-finals and penalties were once again England's undoing. A team good enough to win the whole thing were, thus, sent packing early.”
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ARE YOU HUNGRY YET?
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Let’s talk about food. The World Cup goes beyond football, of course. It’s about people, politics, and togetherness. In its best form, this thing is a celebration of the world, played out through a game. Of course, it’s not always that simple. World Cups don’t exist in vacuums. But there are some basics that can *always* be celebrated. One of them? Food. And our Celia Balf, an NYC foodie expert, is in the process of running down the best food from each World Cup nation, restaurant by restaurant…
Balf: “That is what makes New York different. Few cities in the world can match its blend of cultures, cuisines, and soccer communities, and few places in the United States are better positioned to celebrate a tournament built around the global game. The food changes from borough to borough and country to country, but the experience is familiar: friends, families, and supporters gathering around a match, a meal, and a shared sense of anticipation.” |
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VIDEO REVIEW |
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Kvaradona is a five-year-old at heart, and there’s something comforting about that.
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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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HOUSE OF GOAL, THE BEST PARTY IN NEW YORK |
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The World Cup will be, in all likelihood, the defining moment in American soccer. The 1994 edition was good, an appetizer of sorts. This is the main course, dessert, post-meal drinks, and a nightcap all rolled into one. This year’s tournament is massive. And GOAL is providing a central location for all of it. House of GOAL is a simple concept, really: get every single facet of the beautiful game, what it means, and those involved, and assemble them all with food, drink, music, and massive TV screens in South Brooklyn. We’re talking clothes, five-a-side, DJ sets, video games, appearances from legends and, yeah, the World Cup. It’s kind of a big deal. We’re hosting it all for the final two weekends of the tournament. This thing reaches its climax in mid-July. House of GOAL is the place to be.
You can sign up HERE to experience it all. |
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CHECKING THE MONITOR |
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And that is how you do a title parade…
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POSTMATCH HIGHLIGHTS |
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We talk a lot about the USMNT, but what do Mexico’s chances look like this summer?
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MATCHES NOT TO MISS |
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June 6: International friendlies, USA vs. Germany, 2:30 p.m. — TNT
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June 6: International friendlies, England vs. New Zealand, 4 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus
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June 6: International friendlies, USWNT vs. Brazil, 5:30 p.m. – TNT
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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