After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia.

Available now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia.

Available now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Good morning to you if you're waking up on a Wednesday. It might feel like you're going to do a faceplant in the hump, simply because coming off a Thanksgiving weekend and a long trip maybe that you took, I know a lot of people took to the roads. Thankfully the gas prices are dropping a little bit again.

I don't want to get too excited, but yeah, it can be hard to reintegrate to get back into work after an extended stretch of time off. And I was thinking about it too. I didn't travel very far. I went to southern New Jersey for the overnight Friday to Saturday, but I didn't have to go too far.

Christmas is coming and I have to make two trips to Virginia in the span of about five days. And so I was thinking that kind of saved myself some mileage and some gas money. And it was a nice trade off. It was a good Thanksgiving. But I did miss the kind of the excitement of packing and getting ready to be out there and being with the massive Americans on the move.

Of course I say that and then five minutes in I have road rage and I no longer want to be with the mass of humanity that's on the move. But that will be me at Christmas. So for now, we're on the cusp of December. Believe it or not, we are staring at the final day of November. I can't get over it.

This is it. This is the last day of November. Jay, what did you say? What did you mouth on the other side of the double pane glass?

Nothing I could say on these airways. Was that a revelation to you that it's the last day of November? That was. I didn't even, I guess I realized, but I didn't realize that today was, wow, yeah, it's real. It's here. It definitely is real and it's spectacular if you love the holidays. I have taken a ready or not here they come attitude about the holidays because I'm not ready, but I'm going to have to get ready.

And so yeah, here we are. I've done a very little bit of Christmas shopping. I plan to get my tree on Friday, but yeah, the festivities and the weekends will pass very quickly. Just to, what is it, four weekends, one, two, three, four weekends until Christmas arrives and the New Year's and what I can't, what even crazier is there are only six weeks left in the NFL season.

That's also insane. For those of you who are excited about your fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, mine can't arrive soon enough. Get this. It's never happened before in my entire fantasy football history. I've never won the top seed and a bye. I haven't lost in, I think it's eight weeks and I'm getting lucky with the matchups because sometimes my, well, a lot of times now my team has got guys who either are out at the last second, get hurt on the first play or do not do anything over the course of a game.

And so I'm not scoring a ton every single week, but there are so many injuries up and down the lineups everywhere in the NFL that other teams are dealing with the same thing. So yeah, I don't know when our playoffs start. I think it might be a couple more weeks, but I'm trying to hang on to the top seed. But still though, just thinking about playoffs, even if it's fantasy football, blows me away like Christmas and soon after we'll be talking about seeds. Okay, you watch some of the TV shows right now or you listen to sports radio and they're talking about seeds. I just, I can't get there yet only to think about who the best teams in the conferences are, sure, but I can't go deep to the point where I'm thinking about who's number seven and who's not. Nah, but it's coming quickly though. Six weeks left in the regular season when the Bills and the Patriots kick off week 13 in the NFL.

How about that? Coming up, Von Miller will not be playing. He gives us an update on his status, his injured knee, and also you won't believe who's visiting with the Bills coming up on Friday. We also have Jerry Jones, unlike you've ever heard him before.

Just take my word for it. And then a little bit on the college football playoff rankings because the second to last set were unveiled on Tuesday, though let's be fair, they were in the shadow of Team USA. All other teams had to take a back seat to the red, white, and blue on the World Cup stage.

I wasn't sure how I'd like it over the holidays and more specifically wasn't sure how I would be able to fit it in with NFL. So our American football, but man it has been a real cool treat the last couple weeks to have this to look forward to and now another game win or go home for the US. So they were in that mode against Iran. They had to win. They couldn't draw. There was no other way for them to get to the knockout stage in the round of 16 other than a W. Straight out W. They had to have a goal, and they had to prevent Iran from scoring at all or, at the very least, they could not draw.

With a draw, even if it was a scoreless draw, Iran would have advanced to the round of 16. It was tense. If you go back and you look at my Twitter, I was live tweeting, as were other people like JJ Watt.

He was great. It was a conversation that took over social media, and I enjoyed every second of it. I felt like it was a bonding moment for us as sports fans, and we get some of that during the NFL playoffs.

I would say a little bit during the World Series, maybe sometimes during the NBA or the NHL post seasons, but not like this. Because we have our own rooting interest when it comes to professional sports, but presumably the majority of us, at least I hope, the majority of us are rooting for the same team when it comes to the Olympics or now the World Cup. The more I watch Team USA, the more I like them.

The more I'm all in on this. Youngest team we've ever fielded at the World Cup. One of the youngest on the international stage. They stubbed their toe against Wales in allowing the late goal, so their path was more challenging. The game against England, magnificent.

As magnificent as a scoreless draw can be. They played extremely well. But man, it was so tense. I was nervous, I was anxious, I was psyched. But I'm reminded, and I've heard this phrase from some of the American players in Qatar, but also we hear it from Boomer Esiason in the building all the time, pressure is a privilege. And man, did they rise to the occasion.

They played as though they recognized what was on the line, even though there's just one guy who's had any World Cup experience prior to Qatar. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. We're live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios.

Do you need to know what it takes for a home to fit your budget and your family? Rocket can. So yes, if you would like to know my emotions in the moment as the game is unfolding, well check it out on Twitter, ALawRadio. On our Facebook page, I even posted, I threw one up, but that was at halftime because I couldn't be bothered with all of the social media. I was too stressed. I could barely sit down.

The first tab is unfolding. There's chances. The USA is on the attack. They're dominating in terms of possession.

They're forcing the issue. And then we get to the 38th minute. Robinson, back for the captain, Tyler Adams. Mr. McKay just making a big run. It's meant for him.

Des is snuck in behind Des in the middle, Palazzo! Scores! Might have paid the price, but the U.S. takes the lead. Right time for his team and for his country and gets his moment. Assist in the first game. And then a goal here with the United States tournament at stake.

And it's Christian Polisic. Right place, right time. And what a header. So brave to get there first.

The acceleration through. He waited eight years, but Christian finally has his first World Cup goal. The assist for Wales, but this was his moment. And yes, it was utter perfection on the header from Sergino Dest. There's an incredible photo that the U.S. men's national team Twitter account shared.

And I retweeted it because it's perfection. The level, the power, the skill to put it right on Christian's foot. Now, he did pay the price, as you hear with John Strong. And I think it's, oh, I don't want to say his, I don't want to get his name wrong.

John Strong, if you wouldn't mind looking that up for me, producer J, on Fox Sports. It was funny. They started out relatively tempered. I think recognizing they had a long way to go. And then by the end of this game, when the tension is boiling over, you could feel it with them too. They kept showing glimpses into the studio as well, where former U.S. men's national team players like Clint Dempsey, Alexi Lawless are watching and they can't sit down. Which kind of mirrored what was happening in my living room by the end of this game. Stu Holden, thank you.

Yes, John Strong and Stu Holden with the calls on Fox. So they have a 1-0 lead at halftime, but they've also lost Christian Pulisic. So initially it was diagnosed or it was revealed as an abdominal injury.

He did manage to stay on the pitch or get back on the pitch, but he did not return for the second half. And that changed things, of course. It wasn't the same level of play. It wasn't the same level of aggressiveness.

They didn't have the same level of skill at the top. And so the second half for that reason, and because Iran was feeling that sense of urgency, it was more a game in which they were on the defensive. And I just kept freaking out over prevent defense. Remember in the NFL, we always joke about prevent defense because it prevents nothing and it sometimes prevents you from winning. I forgot how stressful it is to watch the U.S. Men's National Team because they don't blow teams out.

This is not England or Portugal or Argentina or the Netherlands. They don't blow teams out. No, it's gritty, it's gutsy, it's defense, it's possession. A lot of times it can be about clogging up the middle. Now they're more skilled.

This group is more skilled than that. But in the second half, they even changed their configuration so they were, in fact, stacking up players in the back. And so it was not easy to watch. The second half, tough on the ticker, but also the longest final 30 minutes ever. It felt like 30 hours, not 30 minutes. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Are you kidding me with the nine minutes of stoppage time? Nine minutes? You think the game is over and then there's nine more minutes.

What is that about? I couldn't have been the only one who was feeling like the clock was not moving. Do you ever run on a treadmill? And this is my issue when I run on a treadmill. I can't stop looking at the clock because it feels like the time goes so slowly and I'm making no progress.

And the clock is standing still on the treadmill. Well, that's what it felt like watching this game. And then they throw up nine minutes of stoppage time and I thought I was going to croak.

I'm not super happy. I couldn't even watch in stretches. But a couple of things that I'll always remember. Walker Zimmerman, who did not start this game. Now you may remember his name. He's the one who got penalized in the box against Wales. He had a slide tackle that took down Gareth Bale, the Welsh star, gave up the penalty kick. And ultimately it was a draw because they weren't able to score themselves again. But it was the penalty on Walker. He played much better against England.

I thought he had his redeeming moments. He actually knocked a ball away from Harry Kane when Harry was in the box without getting a penalty. In this game, he doesn't start. He comes in though with fresh legs.

In the final few minutes, Producer J, what do you think? At least six headers where he is knocking the ball away from Iran or he's going for a jump ball. That's what they're called, jump balls. And he's at least getting it out of the box so that they have a second to breathe and to regroup. It seemed like six times he did that. Yeah, he had that one stretch in like late, early 80th minute or so, late 80th minute where he had literally three back to back to back. He got rid of their clean.

Iran was trying to dump it in. He cleared it out. He was doing all he could. He was phenomenal. He was sensational in those last few minutes. And I think the fresh legs helped because he didn't play the entire game. You could see that the Americans were gassed.

They had left everything out there, probably the Iranians too. And then we get this. So stoppage time was going to take us to 99 plus minutes.

And in the 97th minute, heart palpitations. This man back is Hosseini. He'll lift it up, Reem back, tracking out, jump, flicks header! It's loose and cleared away by Zimmerman. Job not done. U.S. got to get back.

They're screaming. Iran, it's a penalty. Adams blocks it.

Moussa, feed to the second ball. Someone just get rid of that thing and they do. Now this is going to be reviewed. Oh my goodness.

Okay. So there's all kinds of stuff happening here. First of all, Iran was on the attack and there's a ball that comes into the box and there's a bunch of people in front of Matt Turner. He tries to slide to wrap up the ball. Almost like the football. Well, it is a football. He tries to slide to wrap up the ball and it squirts through his legs. And so it is rolling slowly. It is rolling toward the goal line.

You guys, there was nobody there. If you haven't seen the moment, it's on Fox soccer. It's on the USMNT Twitter.

In fact, we'll try to retweet it from our show account. After our CBS, we have a second. It's just rolling, rolling, rolling. It's just eternally rolling. And along comes Walker Zimmerman as if he hasn't done enough flying through the box and through the air with the greatest of ease and kicks it away. No.

No, take that. Anyway, there was a moment where the official decided if he was going to call another penalty kick against the US, ultimately decides not to, which was consistent with how he called the game. He did throw a couple of yellow cards, but he allowed these guys to play. There was a lot of contact. Oh, there was a lot of flopping. And so it was just, it was a moment where you almost couldn't breathe. And that was when I tweeted and I quote in all capital letters, holy crap. That's all I could tweet. That's all I had. It's the only thing that I could come up with in that moment. So anyway, as you know, by now they end up moving on, they end up winning and yeah, we weren't the only ones who are freaking out in those final minutes. I mean, with this new injury time, counting every second, it's, it's stressful. I think I have less hair on my head now, but we'll take it and we'll move on and we'll battle harder.

That's Greg Berhalter. These guys were almost too exhausted to celebrate. There wasn't a whole lot of exalting. There were some guys were just kind of wandering around, hugging each other, and then applauding the US fans who made so much noise. Chanting, screaming, singing. It was amazing. The wave of emotion in a stadium in which it was probably 75% supporters of Iran.

It's after our CBS Sports Radio. Now, Christian Pulisic is listed as day-to-day. He has a pelvic contusion, essentially a hip bone contusion. But yeah, he had his moment. We need him moving forward, but this is a moment that not only will we never forget, but Team USA was still raving about. He's huge. I mean, going back to him not qualifying for the last World Cup and then being here and qualifying us through, that's just a work of God. God bless him. I mean, I love him and he's so important to this team. He's a key player and a leader, so I mean, someone that we definitely need. I've been saying all along, it's a wonderful thing when one of your best players is also one of the hardest working, and he's certainly that. You know, I can't say enough positive things about Christian. We know that he's alive.

Yes, I'm being tongue-in-cheek. For a couple of reasons, he posted a photo on, was it Snapchat, Jay? We decided it was Snapchat. You're a snapper. I'm not a snapper anymore. But I think it was Snap.

That kind of fits the Gen Z. So he posted a photo from the hospital and he was fired up. He was really proud of the guys. And then if you check out the video on my Twitter, ALawRadio, when the team got back to the hotel, oh my gosh, they're screaming, they're yelling, there's fans there waiting to greet the American team. Guess who's at the back of the lobby filming, taking photos, and screaming along with the fans like he's literally like he's a fanboy? Christian Pulisic.

So check out the video. He looks like he's okay and he says that he will play Saturday, though he's officially listed as day-to-day. So how did the U.S. get this done, Greg Berhalter? The first half we showed what we can do soccer-wise. We had a really good first half. The second half we showed what we can do determination-wise.

The guys grinded, they gave every single ounce of energy, and we're undefeated going into the next round. We wanted to control our own destiny because we knew we could handle it. And I mean, you guys can see we're, I don't want to say a bad word, but we're a really close group of guys. You know, we're brothers.

We're brothers. We love this type of stuff. We love the pressure. We love the excitement because, you know, we're a young team. We have our own swagger. We have our own style.

We have our own way that we play, the way that we connect with each other. And you see, we did it today. At the end, it was a bit, you know, a heart drop, sinking moment, but we got it done, and we're excited to still be here.

Awesome. Weston McKinney is kind of giggling in the middle there. As you can imagine, the emotions were overwhelming from start to finish, and all of those reactions on Fox Sports. I think I'm still breathing.

It was one heck of an experience, and I wouldn't trade it, though yes, very stressful and anxious. And one more thing I will say, I don't know if the reports about the Iranians facing death, or at the very least death threats, if they lost this game. I don't know if those reports are true. I hope they're not. I was thinking about them after this game.

They were obviously in tears themselves, and they were spent there on the pitch. I am grateful that we live in a nation where we can exult in the wins, and yeah, we take our losses hard. We like winners, but it's still just a game. It's not life or death. I'm glad we have that perspective. I really am. Even when it comes to the NFL, it's not life or death. Straight ahead, we've got your choice for TD of the Week, and still to come, some of the analysis from our former pro goalkeeper Jesse Bradley, who was also freaking out during Team USA's win over Iran on Tuesday.

Good morning to you. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm in a rush to making money.

I'm not in a rush to hurt people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia. Available now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team. Your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real-time updates on everything you care about.

Miss your show? Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand, wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free?

Download the Odyssey app today. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm in a rush to making money.

I'm not in a rush to hurt people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio.

Season two, the Dixie Mafia, available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. The people have spoken and one score stands above the rest. Here is your TD of the week.

The Las Vegas Raiders. Down to five on the play clock. Gets the snap.

Hands off to Jacobs. Stutters to the right. Burst through the hole. 20, 25, 30. He's off to the races here in Seattle. Nobody's going to catch him.

25, 20, 10. Ball game. Bye bye, Josh. 86 yards in overtime to walk it off for a second straight week. Touchdown, Raiders. Victory, Las Vegas. I have nothing to say.

It's just an iso lead. It's a beautiful run. I'm running out of superlatives. You know, he, you know, over 300 total yards in a game and, you know, of course, you know, makes the big play at the end. But I thought he was tremendous throughout. Gave us a lot of hard yards in a running game. Caught the ball well out of the backfield. Makes some big plays with his hands.

And that's J.J. It's kind of crazy, you know, coming in and not knowing if I was going to play. You know, looking at guys and they are telling them, you know, that they're going to get everything they got out of me. You know, they want it. They didn't want me to finish the game.

But, you know, I kind of convinced them that, you know, I could go. I mean, you know, biggest play of the game after that. Yeah, your choice for TD of the Week, an 86-yard walk-off. Jason Horowitz on Raiders Radio. It was stunning on the road in Seattle. The magnitude of it, but also put him over 300 yards from scrimmage.

It was a franchise record, of course, and seventh most in NFL history. You hear Josh and Josh talking about it after the fact. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Thanks for all of your votes and your questions for Ask Amy.

I've gone back to answer a few of them if I can. Von Miller and the Buffalo Bills will kick off Week 13 against the New England Patriots. This is a game that takes place at Foxboro, so at Gillette Stadium in New England. And we know Von Miller is going to be out for a bit. He gives an update on his injured knee.

The news is not the best of news, but it's definitely not the worst of news. It's kind of like in the middle. You know, I do have some lateral meniscus damage and it's going to have to be addressed. But I do feel like I can, you know, play through that.

So I'm just going to wait a little bit, wait a little bit, let the swelling go down for about, you know, seven to ten days. And, you know, hopefully right before the Jets game, you know, I will be back. So that's Von offering the update. Also, surprise, surprise, there's going to be a special visitor in Orchard Park on Friday. OBJ is taking a visit this Friday. Yeah, he's going to be here. Everybody said everybody was like, oh, oh, hey, the Cowboys. Hey, man, it ain't over till it's over.

You're going to see the Giants, us and the Cowboys. And I think when he comes here, I don't think he's going to leave. Von Miller is pretty confident. He and OBJ are tight, though. Odell was also in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, according to Jerry Jones. That's not the most interesting thing that happened with Jerry's weekly interview on our Dallas affiliate 105.3, the fan. Yeah, I don't even know what he was talking about, but it went horribly wrong. Got help on the way here.

Washington's got a good chance to join us here. Oh, no. You're right. Oh, dear. Better still, better still. How about a big shot of Jack? Asking for a friend.

Does that work? Does Jack work? Who do you have a coffee?

In lieu of oxygen. How about some Jack? Oh, my God. Sean and RJ handled that well on our Dallas affiliate. Again, 105.3, the fan. It wasn't a coughing fit that got Aaron Rodgers off the field last week for the Packers. But he does tell you that he was a little bit worried about having some breathing issues. There was an earlier shot in the game that kind of rattled the rib cage. I was trying to stretch some things out at halftime a little bit and realized it probably wasn't some sort of muscle injury. And then just got hit again in third quarter. I was having a hard time breathing. I mean, I pride myself on not coming out of games.

But I was in considerable pain and I felt like I just couldn't move out there really much at all. We're not eliminated. I got good news with the scans yesterday. So I plan on playing this week. All right.

Short and sweet. Aaron Rodgers plans on playing. He's been my starting quarterback in fantasy all year for better or for worse. Most of the time it's been worse. I'm not sure what to do this weekend, but there weren't any great options. So as I checked, it's Packers at Bears.

How low can you go? It's for the basement in the NFC North. So, yeah, we'll do a lot more looking ahead to Week 13 on our next couple additions of the show. But want to give you those updates. I know that Jerry Jones wasn't really an update, but it was it was definitely worth hearing. All right.

Straight ahead. Part of our conversation with former pro goalkeeper Jesse Bradley, who has been our analyst for this World Cup and was just as hyped and I would say nervous as we were during the Iran game. It's after hours. CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours podcast.

On back inside the U.S. football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team, your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real time updates on everything you care about.

Miss your show? Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today.

Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team, your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real time updates on everything you care about.

Miss your show? Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free?

Download the Odyssey app today. Players are gassed. Iranians are up.

It comes into the box again. Iranian player looking for a penalty. And the game is over.

Out of dreams. I mean, we worked so hard as a group to be in these type of positions. And Iran played a beautiful game. But, you know, thanks to Christian, he put it away and got hurt in the process. But we love him and we thank him. And, I mean, we're through.

So, I mean, it's a great feeling. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You're not going to believe what I'm watching right now on FS1. They're replaying the U.S.-Iran game and it's literally the 39th minute where Christian Polisic is laying on the pitch. And they're attending to him. Now they've helped him up, but he can't get off the field by himself.

It was something I had not seen before. They actually didn't put an 11th man on the field, so they didn't sub in. Greg Berhalter chose to wait to see if he could continue. Instead of doing a sub, you only get five subs in a game. And so they actually played a man down. And then Iran did it in the second half. Played a man down for a stretch while they were waiting for their player to kind of shake it off.

To rub some dirt on it, if you will. Yeah, dramatic game. Tense. Nervous. Anxious.

Ultimately triumphant. And the U.S. Men's National Team, I should know by now, they do nothing easy. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Thanks so much for hanging out with us. So many of you finding me on Twitter, talking about the soccer game, the World Cup. 20 million people watched the USA versus England. I'm interested to see the numbers for this game, which was a win at advance.

The U.S. did exactly that. Our conversation with Jesse Bradley from earlier in the show. He joined us from Seattle.

That soccer hotbed. Former pro goalie himself to talk about what we saw on Tuesday. I want to pick up with where I asked him about Christian Pulisic, Captain America's huge moment that required a major sacrifice. He stepped into the moment. He owned it.

He grabbed that by the scruff of the neck. You know, I think of desire and ability in life and that combination. We know he has the ability, but that was unquestioned desire. And also, it shows us, you know, with leadership, there's always a cost. Love includes sacrifice. You know, it's true in parenting. It's true if you're in a business. It's true on the sports field.

And basically, he just said, I don't care about my body. Like, I'm all in. And whatever collision happens, I'm going for goal. And I really think for both goalkeepers and forwards, you've got to be fearless, courageous or a little bit crazy because you can think about your body.

All you can think about is what the team needs. And he paid the price. He didn't play the second half, but I know it was worth it. I love what I saw from the Americans in the first half because it involved everybody.

How would you evaluate the teamwork that you saw when they first got on the pitch? Right on. And you see McKinney's pass. He's dropping dimes. You know, he passes it out to Dest, who could have played for the Netherlands of the U.S.

Interesting. So he's going to go up against the other team in the next game. But the midfield play, we just haven't seen that quality, that skillfulness and the give-and-go. People really are watching this, and it's changing the way they see American soccer. And it's the touches. It's the skills.

You know, Moussa turned 20 today, and look what he's doing out there. We have these guys who are, you know, teenagers in the top clubs in Europe. And the midfield, you know, if you don't follow much soccer, the midfield is the one that really sets the tone. They do the most running. They have to have skillful touches.

They have to work together. And they set the pace and the tone of the game. And I felt like the first half, we put our stamp on that game, and Iran was really on their heels. In terms of math, you would want to say, let's just get the tie and we advance. But in terms of mentality and mindset, I think it's almost better to know that you have to win to advance. And I felt like the U.S. played with that desperation and that intensity, whereas Iran starts thinking, well, can we hold them for this half?

What if we retreat here? Well, we kept them on the net so far. And a lot of teams don't play their best when they only need a tie. And, you know, the U.S. was up to the challenge. What did you see in the second half then? Because, first of all, it was the longest hour of my entire life. And it was not the same feel. Maybe it was just because I was so tense.

But what did you see after the break? Right. You know, a huge play at the end of the first half was the goal we scored that was just barely offside. And we have VAR.

We have technology now. If we didn't, that might have counted. If we get two goals, it's a whole different second half. But we're a team that hasn't scored much. I mean, we've only scored, you know, the two goals. The first two games, we only had one shot on goal each game, I think.

Right. So we're a team that wins by defending. And defending wins championships.

And it takes all 11 guys to commit to that. But we are solid in the back. The goalkeeping's good.

We're working together as a unit. We're getting our outside backs, those are the outside defenders, up the line, making runs, attacking. So I really feel like, you know, there hasn't been a lot of changes in substitutes. There's a few guys that are really talented. You know, Claudio Reyna is maybe the most talented and skillful on the team. And he hasn't seen much playing time.

Now, he might come out next game. But I really feel like there was a work rate. People understood on the team what it's going to take to win. Guys that have role, you know, roles like sergeant up front. He's a target man. He just controls the ball. Nothing flashy, but he's steady.

He gains possession. And I just felt like across the board, they stuck together. And you can't start criticizing each other. You can't panic. It really takes a system and a team committed to that. And I think you really saw, you know, exception maybe the last five minutes.

It was Helter Skelter. But at that point, there's so much adrenaline. And at that point, you know, you're just trying to cross that finish line. When you get to the marathon, you know, it's a 26 mile, your form isn't the prettiest in that last mile. But you're just like, I got to get there.

We're so close. And they crossed the finish line. A lot of the build up to this game was about the politics in Iran, as well as that conversation, the exchange between the reporter and Tyler Adams.

Thought he handled himself really well. There are undertones, of course. Iran has never moved on to the knockout stage. And there were reports, I don't know if they're accurate, but there were reports that the players themselves were threatened with death if they did not win this game. I'm so thankful that we live in a nation where soccer is still just a game. It's not life or death. It may sound like I'm making light of it. I'm not. I'm all in.

I'm over the moon hyped. But it's still only a game. It's not life or death. You've played in other parts of the world. What's it like for them when they're facing a game like this where they have to win?

That's right. The passion is increasing in the U.S., but it's not on the same level in terms of pressure that you have in other countries. And the reason for that is in most countries, soccer is the number one sport.

There's no close second. Soccer is the number one sport in the world. Maybe you're listening today and you're not a huge soccer fan, but we can't change the facts. Around the world, it's the number one sport, and there's a lot there to learn, to enjoy. I love to talk about the joy. When you see the joy in the passing, the joy in the dribbling, the joy in the scoring, the joy in the team, the joy in the stands, the people singing and dancing.

Amazing. And this sport is about the joy. It's the beautiful game. And when players are representing their country, there's no higher honor.

So they play for the top clubs. But when you represent your country in the tournaments once every four years, your entire nation is watching, those death threats are real, sadly, and some people take sport too far. I mean, we see that in, you know, kids' soccer, even in America, and it's like parents losing their cool. If there was a parents' camp, you know, yelling at the ref, and it was on social media, it'd be embarrassing. It's hard sometimes to have some self-control. But in many nations, the pressure is immense.

And there's a lot of criticism. If someone doesn't have a Good World Cup or they make a blunder and their team doesn't advance, that can continue in their country for decades. They're going to carry that shame. So they know what they're stepping into. And in sports, it's so key not to put too much pressure on yourself.

I always felt like if I can stay in that zone where I'm not too casual and too relaxed, but I'm not over the top. And that's what these athletes are doing. It's the battle between the ears, but how can I stay focused but relax enough to play my best?

And at some point, you have to become great at blocking out the noise and blocking out the distractions. And honestly, for a lot of these players, when they're finally out in the field, that's their refuge. That's their joy. And the teams that advance the furthest, they don't play stiff. They don't play afraid. They play with joy.

And you've seen it. The Brazilians right now are playing with joy. France, Mbappe. He just looks free. He's fast. He's got strength, skill. He's just playing his game.

And when you see that, those are the players that are winning the battle of the mind. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We know that Christian has a pelvic contusion and that he was out of the hospital, Jesse, on Tuesday afternoon. We don't know whether or not he will be able to play.

I hope that's the case. But what changes for the Americans if he is unable to go against the Netherlands? They're going to lose their number one offensive weapon. And I think he will be out there because of the determination. And I don't think the severity of the injury will nullify his play. But the question is, even if he's out there, how effective is he going to be? How dangerous is he going to be? Does he have all the speed? Because his strength is his speed. And he blows past players. Now he's getting more experience, so he's savvy as well. But the U.S. needs him.

He's the one that's created both goals, either scored or an assist. And without him, they don't look nearly as potent. And so the training team is going to be doing everything they possibly can, you know, to be working with him, to get him ready. I could say, oh, we'll do fine without him, but that wouldn't be true. We need him in there. And I think some other players are going to realize, because again, on the best teams, when your top player is not at 100%, you just know in the locker room someone else has got to step up. There's going to be moments in this next game that are going to be things that are remembered for decades because of the importance of this game and where American soccer is right now. We have the World Cup coming in three and a half years. We've never had such a great group of teenage players. I mean, there's a lot of momentum. And, you know, I think the U.S. will play well this next game because when you play a game that you're expected to win, you know, sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself again. But right now the U.S., they accomplished their goal. They made it to the final 16. And now I think they're going to play with some freedom because they know they can knock off the Netherlands. And that's a great spot to be in. So I think some of the creativity, you know, Weah showing that, I think you're going to see some more creativity in the attack and taking some risks. You know, there's going to be some players that have their best game and not necessarily going to be Christian, but we need him to get a win, I think.

I need to be Christian. And I would hate it not just for Team USA because without him, as Jesse Bradley points out, they're not the same team, but also because he waited eight years. For those of you who remember Trinidad and Tobago and how painful that was, the day after they lost to Trinidad and Tobago and failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, he wrote an article. It was published on the Players' Tribune. Is that still a thing? Remember how the Players' Tribune used to be all the rage?

All the athletes would use it? I feel like I haven't seen it much lately, but... I feel like they all have their own kind of, like, podcast now and stuff, right?

Everybody's got their own, yeah. Anyway, going back, he did write this big article with the number of days counted until the next World Cup. And his teammates have pointed out he missed it then. And this is his opportunity. And he finally has his first World Cup goal.

But you can't ever get that one back. I would hate it for him. I'd be devastated for him if he was unable to participate.

Now, he says he's going to play Saturday against the Netherlands. Get this, the game is in the morning American time. So the coverage begins at 9 o'clock Eastern. That's 6 a.m. Pacific. I think the game is supposed to start an hour later on Fox. At least it's before coverage championships.

I'm sure that FIFA and the host nation of Qatar was not considering our college football conference championships late. But thank you for accommodating. So anyway, it was stressful.

The very end of the game. I don't think I need to go through that ever again. It was the longest hour of my life, it felt like.

And then when that ball squirted through Matt Turner's legs, I thought I was going to pass out. No joke. Give me some oxygen.

Seriously? Or some Jack? If they had lost the game, it was going to be all about Jack. And I don't even drink Jack. I don't have any Jack.

But I was going to have to find some Jack. I'm glad that one's done. And now, would you say we're playing with house money, Jay? I want to say yes, but at this point I'm kind of getting a little greedy and I would like to advance one more stage. Greedy, I like that. Let's go. Let's be greedy.

They got past the first stage. I'm happy, but I'm getting a little greedy. Let's get greedy.

Let's be greedy, peeps. Let's say the Netherlands must be banished. They're a top ten team in the world, though.

This is not going to be an easy task. But it wasn't against England, it wasn't against Iran. We're through to the knockout stage. All right, we're back tonight. Enjoy your Wednesday, your hump day. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio.

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