How far could Pochettino take this current USMNT squad? | ESPN FC Extra Time

Extra Time [Music] hey there everybody welcome into the espnfc studios Sebastian Salazar Al Moreno Shaka Hislop and naum anuo what a crew we have assembled to take your questions from social media you forgot n wow I forgot the hey there everybody and by the way you didn't forget n him but you mispronounced his his last name though I did you did he I'm just saying it na help me out here you you went onu it's onu onua I need you to say with say with confidence you know how it just rolls right off the tongue na Manu yeah there you go I said it so much that it's right were you guys roommates in the world we were roommates and then you know what what and then naam got called home early and Shaka came in wow what a what a change what a different Dynamic that was he was like rooming with my cousin and then I was rooming with my uncle you know you're being kind you are being kind my father's a much younger brother younger cousin how old did you say you were Shaq mid 4 can I actually tell you what I really enjoyed guar for many reasons but uh my time with those two was right up there we had some great heart to hearts in the apartment on the balcony there you you don't even remember do you okay N I know n it seems like you were doing all the talking and they were just sitting there it wasn't a hard to heart it was just a heart's laughing true he's laughing true all right Tom first question will that first half cause POs to reink accepting the US job uh wouldn't blame him boy it Could USMNT cause Pochettino to re-think his choice? was pretty bad huh I don't know I didn't watch it yeah you did we were literally watching it together sh the first half oh okay that's right that's right you came in little bit later it honestly is the best B yeah yeah yeah uh well I was surprised to see that Marcio Pino's name was still on that list of favorite managers to take over the England national team the oddsmakers will take your money any which way you know after I totally rubbish Le Cosley by the way I see that list and I'm going hold on a bit he's got every chance you know more than the odds makers what I what underwhelming list that was but but to answer this question if indeed if we're going to believe the odds makers is if patino is in the running and that job is offered to portino let let me just tell you he's not coming to the United States yeah I mean it's just simple as that I'm not sure that that's actually what happen that's why Casey doesn't want to talk about it oh maybe Casey knows something that we don't sure hey Casey told us he had paid his mortgage and everything oh baby watched the US game watched the England game today and said you know what I'll wait I'm all good here yeah look at this list Guardiola is not going to take it right right portino well we see J klopp I don't think he's going to take it either definitely not is Frank Lampard just making up the numbers here or that's what that's you know if that's where you list basically what you're saying is it's between carsley and how basically on this list and Lampard apparently I'm just saying I'm I know I'm I'm I again I go back to the question if you're a US fan and you look at this list and you kind of go uhoh fortino is as good a candidate as there is there realistically speaking I apologize to Lee Cosley well not too late now chance no no never too late to apologize no no no well yes but too late for the conversation Shaq you know but but I'm still apologizing I'm still apologizing How far could Pochettino take USMNT? speaking of poch realistically speaking how far can he go with this pool of players I love this realistically speaking what do you think well realistically speaking whoever you you pick a manager in the world any any manager you can play manager Bingo and you pick the best manager that you think would be best suited to take over the United States Men's National Team and if we're talking about how far can it take them in a World Cup home World Cup home World Cup okay uh round of 16 maybe quarterfinals game set and match I I want to ask you that question Seb how far do the US need to go for you not to go home Angry oh wow okay that's Miracle Worker yeah no actually I'm I'm right on board with Ali I think if you bring in a guy like poino you're doing it to do something extra go a little bit further I think asking for any more than a quarterfinal even in a home World Cup would be would be too much even for the wildest defense so I think a quarterfinal would be the high end of the expectation round of 16 would be the low end of the expectation and remember in this world cup we'll have probably around if the US get knocked out in round of 16 in a home World Cup you all right you're middle of the road I guess that's that's kind of where that would be the round where it comes down to against who and how did they go out right round to 32 doesn't matter it's it's a total failure round of quarterfinals doesn't matter what happens a total success round of 16 you get into the what happen how did it go you know was it a good match a bad match I'll hold you to that by the way and now to your point about being a 48 World Cup that means that the United States would have been playing for a while before they get to the quarterfinal so you know how things are in this country people get all excited people that know anything about soccer that all of a sudden become fans of the game and they were watching and here we go USA USA USA they lose to the quarterfinals they then lose total interest yes yeah that's is the reality of what happens yeah this country though is so like multinational though that I don't think you'll feel that in like ter oh no no I'm not talking about the other games I'm talking about the United States specifically totally yep that's that's how it is most tournaments which team will benefit most from this Which team could benefit the most from the international break? International break needing this time to Res set from a slow start to the season also which team will regret the international break arresting the momentum they had with their hot start to the season natam seems like he has a very thoughtful answer ready for him NM what do you got what do I have well there are obviously some teams where all their players are away and they won't arrive back until probably Wednesday this coming week so for them it's not really great preparation but then for the other teams who are Maybe middle of the road in the Premier League which is obviously still a good standard you've had the chance to work on things you know not least of all for example and I mean this from respectful way Everton probably needed a twoe break between games based on what happened in the last game against bmer conceding two goals and added time but then Liverpool maybe they didn't but the fact is those players they left in good spirits and they're likely going to arrive back in good spirits and be ready to push on again so I think more often than not is the teams where they actually have enough players around that can actually work on things who will benefit the most as opposed to the teams who just hope people come back in good health what about Manchester United you think they were happy for the break or sad for it oh I um you hate to go in off of a defeat like that but it might be nice to get away you probably yeah I I think I think more the players are more happy for the break than than they are disappointed just to get away just to get away from some of the noise um and and and and focus on on on other things you know you know you know who's miserable the guys that actually have they didn't go on International break that didn't go and play with their national teams and they have to show for training and they're taking the brunt of whatever the frustrations are from the guys who left those are the guys that play I didn't play I have to show up for training and now I'm sort of paying the price for whatever they didn't do uh I'm going to say a team that may regret the international break Barcelona shot are they were flying and and I mean flying and I'm playing at a high level and more importantly not only were they flying R Madrid were struggling and they were trying to sort of finding themselves and so I don't know that Real Madrid all of a sudden find themselves magically because now they've had injuries in the international break but if you are hansy Fleck in Barcelona the last thing that you wanted to do was stop this momentum and the last thing that you want to happen is any of these players coming back with injuries because that would break the momentum what had been a really really good start so you guys talked about this on the show yesterday Ben White with England uh question comes Ben White not wanting to play for England in here is white not wanting to be at International stage really such a big issue he has gone in the past hasn't had best of experiences yes the staff has changed but maybe he didn't want to reverse his call immediately that's surely his call naam uh where do you come down on this so for me personally I think he's free to do as he pleases but just from a a footballing standpoint a lot of people will always perceive you to be somebody that's not ambitious because of it because I think for many the perception is like the highest form football you can play is international football and when you do get a chance to play for England there is theoretically the pressure and the belief that you can go and say win a European championships potentially contest you know for a World Cup and that is what most players aspire to do when you hear them talk you know they can be attached to a club but their identity for the national team apart from obviously rice and greish stays the same you know these guys they want to play so when you hear somebody that's not interested in it that's Obviously good enough to be there almost feels like they've shunned that team and kind of shown their nation and they haven't because people motivated by many different things and not everybody's in a position as you know Ali and Shak will tell you like where they don't want to go away for two weeks because they're not comfortable with that and then tournament time they want to be they want to be away for four five six weeks especially for some because 11 players play all the time but there's a group of people who don't play at all so I get it and I think he's free to do that and I like the fact that he's been able to stand up for himself and say he's not interested but unfortunately from the moment he said that he's always going to be perceived as being somebody who's on patriotic but realistically you know this is football and he still remains an Englishman regardless I can tell you and and I can only speak from my experiences early on in my career I was getting called into the national team all the time and was playing exactly none of the time and when I say none of the time I was traveling the world sitting on the bench I watched brilliant games man did I watch some games and did I watch some players but I wasn't playing and I I must say that yeah some frustration sets in and and and you feel like there is nothing you can really do to maximize your place in the team because the the coach who was in place obviously had a group of players that he trusted and I was sort of an outsider but I was still be called in and so as a young player I saw I not sort of I know for certain that I took that for granted and didn't quite recognize the importance of just being there and being part of the national team and nothing really checks your ego much more so that the moment in which the list comes out you're expecting to be in the list you take it for granted and you're not in the list and the ne next L comes out and you're not in the list and a year goes by and you're not being called in and you're kind of like and you're and in my case I was scoring goals here I was winning championships here didn't matter I wasn't being called in changing a manager new coach calls me in and man I told myself no matter what happens no matter what my role is with the national team I'm going to make the most out of this opportunity because by then I had the maturity to understand that I'm representing more than myself that this isn't just about my career and what my feelings are you're representing a country you're representing your family your family name out in front of a Nation the hes of a Nation you're representing that and if my role was to be the best cheerleader on the bench that's what I was going to do if my role was to draw some fouls that's what I was going to do if it was score tappings that's what I was going to do but that's a decision that I had to make once I was kicked in the backside once I had to check my ego and say man I really do miss being part of the national team even if I'm not playing because I want to be among the best 22 players that represent my country that's the part that I don't think Ben White has come to turns with and understands the importance of that what that would mean for his career when he's done not right now but when he's done to to to that point let me just say I I totally agree with naam Ben Ben White is free to make whatever decision he wants I just don't know why it's a story if if he decides I mean a player saying no to the national team is a pretty big deal isn't it no no Zan saying no to the national team is a big deal okay all right I I I just I I don't you you know to to Ali mean doesn't that make it a bigger story that so to Al's point if when as a young player if when you were on the bench you say listen I'm done how how many articles would be written up in vene none just he's totally free to make that and that's that's 100% his decision I just don't know why it's a story I I I I I don't know why Ben White saying no to England is a story I think I'm being told we Nedum's favorite Man City players of all time should move on because we've talked about this quite a bit the last few days all right we'll we'll leave it for another time naam your top three not best your top three favorite City players of all time um Personal Collection Kevin De bruyne um I would say Sha wri philli uh de bruyne for obviously being de bruyne Sean I fpz being somebody that helped me get into that first team and made my job pretty easy cuz all I have to do when he was on the wing I just passed in the ball and he did everything else made me look really good thank you very much Sean and finally um I would say Sergio oh no I no I won't say Sergio aguo I'll say I'll say car wow because carlosz coming from Manchester United to Manchester city was one of the most significant parts of the club's history and aguero's obviously gone on to score more goals to have the statue and stuff but TZ arriving there meant something really significant and that was the start of things beginning to change and within a few years they were FA Cup win a league and here we are today okay bruyne Shan R Phillips and that was a good one you like are you okay with his top three absolutely absolutely I I I I love the every minute it really doesn't help our Bundesliga coverage because natum is brought in to talk about Vincent company he doesn't mention Vincent company so come on now listen you can do that he's he's a he's an honorable mention in number four naam's interior decorator has Who makes the MLS Cup? provided our next question for Seb and Ali who's making MLS Cup well I know who's winning MLS cup ah there it is my beloved Columbus true and they when when I say that they look like the best team in the league it's not just me saying it because it's a Columbus Crew it's they are they seem to be playing at a different level and a different type of football than everybody else uh they're Dynamic they're explosive they score goals they defend well enough they have a they have a lot of depth which not a lot of MLS teams do and they have a manager in place that obviously has been able to to create a culture and a style of play that the players are loving are loving and when you're a player and you love showing up every day for work that usually creates an environment in which you're going to get results defending Champions just won the uh League's cup as well who would you have them facing in the final lafc probably and uh it would be now it's see you're hot right now yeah they are I still have my questions about the LA Galaxy and whether this actually lasts mhm and uh I I like what Greg vany is doing I like the turnaround of that team just think about the mess that the LA Galaxy were last season as to where they are now and he's been able to navigate some really tricky turbulent Waters um they're in a good place but if push comes to shove I think lafc is slightly better than the Galaxy uh If Messi comes back for in Miami does that change who you think get out of the East are you sticking with Columbus well I I think it would make for a very interesting M what's what's what's going on there RSL shout in there all right RSL my friends La I thought we were having a serious conversation I thought we were giv analysis there more there's more chance of that phone making making MLS copy keep that energy keep that energy I will remember this it's it's really going to be interesting to see if indeed it pans out that way the Columbus Crew and enter Miami because it's not only a clash of styles it's a clash of cultures it's a clash of how do you build a franchise how do you sell a franchise to your fans how do you present yourself in the community and it's a lot of substance to what the Columbus Crew are doing and we want to see that same substance from inter Miami in the playoffs and we're only going to get that substance if indeed lonel Messi is healthy and so it it'll be fun it'll be a lot of goals because both teams will attack I like it uh I'm going inner Miami lafc okay in Miami lafc just assuming I always took you for a Columbus hater I know a come on come on and I took you to Al Paso Grill and everything right you're right I was I was fortunate enough to be in Columbus in the shadow of one Ali Moreno let me tell you do let me I mean when when you're in Columbus with Ali do it's probably like being in the Caribbean with you I don't know what you're talking about everything opens I know what you're talking about moving on moving move on moving or Manchester with all right we'll leave it there for now before we get anybody into too much trouble here on extra time uh for naam Shak and Ali I'm Seb thanks for watching and the boys will be back right here in this same studio tomorrow [Music]