Share This Episode
Amy Lawrence Show Amy Lawrence Logo

7-2-24 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

Amy Lawrence Show / Amy Lawrence
The Truth Network Radio
July 2, 2024 5:36 am

7-2-24 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

Amy Lawrence Show / Amy Lawrence

On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 2086 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


July 2, 2024 5:36 am

What the heck is wrong with the USMNT? | Do we like the use of VAR? | Is the leadership of Team USA in the right hands?

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Temp check. What kind of summer are we having this year? A family road trip summer? A beach bum summer?

Or a wake me when the sun sets summer? With Instacart, choose your own adventure and skip the shopping side quests. Where available, you can get ice cream delivered to your hotel, sunscreen to the pool, or cold brew to your bed.

Well, door. In as fast as 30 minutes. Wherever you find yourself this summer, you can get the goods. Download Instacart for free delivery on your first three orders. Offer valid for a limited time. Minimum $10 per order. Excludes restaurants.

Additional terms and fees apply. We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature. Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to, or the succulents that adorn our homes, nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With all trails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on-trail navigation.

Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with all trails. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well.

Roof repair? Done well. Kitchen sink install? Done well. Deck upgrades? Done well.

Electrical upgrade? Done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years, so we know the difference between done and done well.

Hire high quality certified pros at angie.com. I honestly wish there was nothing going on tonight. No negative storylines. No Team USA sucks. This major theme for our soccer team, I really wish that wasn't the case and I could just talk about how I had tacos on Monday instead of Tuesday.

Because, you know, that's really anti-American. Taco Tuesday, but I turned it into a Taco Monday. Actually, it's not just me anymore. Now I also blame my husband. Really, it's his fault. He cooked them. But they were delicious. In addition to it being a Taco Monday and a day in which we will rue the demise.

Okay, maybe that's a little bit traumatic. We will rue the elimination of Team USA at Copa America. We will bid farewell to Klay Thompson as he pursues a new endeavor in same conference, different uni. And we will say goodbye to our friend producer Jay.

Well, you will. I'm not going to say goodbye to him because we're going to be friends even when we're not working together. But you all have to say goodbye to him because I don't know if he's going to be connected, stay connected with you once he's out of his biz. I did tell him though to read all of your kind words. Well, and some of you are a little misguided, but all of your kind words on social because he needs to know how much he's appreciated.

And if I can't do them by myself, well then I might have to recruit you. But yeah, lots of kind words. Jay is four plus hours away from being Dunsville. Jay, how are you feeling? What's your heart rate like?

Is your resting heart rate higher than normal? It's pretty calm. It's jumping a little bit more as we go, but I feel like it's in a pretty good spot right now. Stable.

Stable. Well, just give us a couple minutes and maybe we'll change that. As we start talking about Team USA, I'm thinking we're going to change that.

Palpitations. Sorry. Yes, this is unbelievable. It's unbelievable. It's happening again. Again, the only thing that's different is that this time USA stumbling, bumbling, fumbling, crumbling can't actually get the team eliminated from World Cup qualifying.

However, it's bad. This is not what you want two years out from hosting the World Cup. We're supposed to be going, and this is the only time you'll ever hear me say we about a sports team, the only time because it's a we. This is our team, for better or for worse. The only time that we're, I think for our nation, that we're going to be all in as in all freaking in.

Two years to go, Greg Berhalter wormed his way back into the job, coming off of a trip to the elimination stage and a fairly impressive performance at the last World Cup. This was supposed to be a rise, an ascent. This was supposed to be the culmination of a changeover, a transformation, a new style, a new attitude, new leadership, new ideas, new identity. I just said to you last week, it is a little bit frustrating and sometimes infuriating that this team never seems to break out of the mold. And here it is again. What's wrong?

I mean, that's a billion dollar question right now. Not only did the United States fall to Uruguay, when I was in high school, I did a book report in Uruguay. Anyway, not only did the US fall to Uruguay in Copa, but because Panama ended up matching, so all Panama had to do was match the United States in score in whatever the result was, and the US would be eliminated. It was a bang bang sequence of events where Panama ends up scoring a goal right about the time, seconds before Team USA gives up its goal to Uruguay. And it's pretty interesting the way that the American fans were seeing it on their phones, that Panama, I think at that point had tied Bolivia, though Panama went on to win 3-1. But that game was going on in Orlando, Team USA was playing in Kansas City, and fans were seeing the scores or watching Panama draw even with Bolivia and then take the lead right as the Americans were giving up that single goal. One goal. One goal.

This is the part that's so frustrating. They've got some of the best players they've ever had on this roster, and yet chemistry is definitely lacking. I know they're young and they're still getting experience in the red, white, and blue, but you don't get it by being eliminated in group stage of a tournament that's being played in your own backyard.

And also, how? How do they generate just three shots? Three shots on goal. After they give up that goal to Uruguay, how do they not generate more shots, more quality looks, more sense of urgency, more tenacity. So by losing to Panama and then losing to Uruguay, and actually Team USA has dropped five of its last nine matches, the Americans do not advance out of the group stage at Copa America. Unbelievable.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. As I was listening to the reaction in the wake of this game in KC, I thought about how this has got to be one of the most disappointing teams of my entire adult life. I became a fan more than my career as a radio host because my fandom stretches back beyond when I got into this business as a professional. And so I'm thinking my entire adult life, going back to college, and then on into the early stages of my career where I was working in news and volunteering in sports, I've remained a huge fan of US soccer. And then first, even before, I started paying attention to the women, mostly because they're such great winners. And so we've seen a couple iterations of the women, various generations, and they've continued their steadiness, which is good. I mean, the women, they've got more competition now, but when they started out, there weren't a whole lot of competitive nations. So they forced everyone else in the world to raise their level of play or they were just never going to be able to compete, and they have. And we've seen some other women's soccer powers.

The US women have remained steady through multiple changes, both at manager as well as captain and top players and rosters. They're the best in the world. And I get it, when it comes to the men, they're at a distinct disadvantage because although we have major league soccer, it's relatively young compared to the European leagues and the fact that in other nations, soccer is the sport. If you can't play soccer, well, then you play something else. They're football.

Football is king. They have the best resources. They have year round training. You want to talk about farm systems for the national teams. They are so competitive.

So I get it. In the United States, we have so many different options. Little kids play soccer, a lot of youth programs, a lot of junior high, high school programs. They're very popular in all parts of the country. In fact, in my Sunday school class, my fourth and fifth graders, half the boys come to church on Sunday morning wearing their soccer uniforms. And some of the girls do, too, because youth soccer is huge in this country. But it doesn't have the same profile.

It doesn't have the same cachet. It doesn't have the same popularity or support or money as do the other sports. And so very often our best athletes end up playing other sports. And that's fine.

It's great. We've got so many different ways that young men and women can compete. Sports are good.

Whatever they look like on any level. Our best athletes don't generally play soccer. And that puts us at a disadvantage with other nations. But we've been working on this program. They've recruited. They've extended their youth development and supposedly, or as Joey Tribbiani says, supposedly, U.S. soccer was starting all over again with the best young players that we've ever seen, including some of the best in the world.

Like Christian Polisic. He's phenomenal. We've got guys who play overseas. Now, when it comes to the U.S. national team, they're not together all the time.

Right. They've got other obligations, as do the ones overseas. But they're playing year round. Not all of our guys are playing year round.

It's a different animal and it's a it's a problem. Except that, according to U.S. soccer, according to Greg Berhalter, they had found the keys. And this last World Cup was really just the building block. It was the foundation. It was the experience they needed. Exceeding expectations by getting to the elimination stage. This was going to be finally a breakout run to the World Cup that we would be hosting in the United States, in Canada, in Mexico. Home field advantage. Let's go team.

Wah wah wah. I know there are two years left, but this is disturbing. This is Copa America. It's not even the World Cup. One goal? One goal against Panama and Uruguay? Now, remember, against Panama, they were down to 10 men because Tim Way got the red card. So I know that was a disadvantage.

I get it. But that's on him and that's on them. You may not agree with the call.

But you've got to put yourself in a position where those types of things don't happen. So the Americans are on the outside looking in and Greg Berhalter is facing. Loud, loud calls for his head and for his job. I was thinking about the disappointment going back to their failure to qualify for the Olympics in, what was it, 2016, I believe. Not the Olympics, sorry, the World Cup. Going back to their last World Cup before it was supposed to be in 20.

Oh no, let's see. Sometimes I get the Olympics and the World Cup dates mixed up. 18 they didn't qualify. 18 they didn't qualify. 22 they just played. That was the one where they got to elimination stage. And now, again, we'll play in 26. It was the Olympics that were pushed back a year because of COVID.

Sorry about that. So yeah, sometimes these tournaments that come around once every four years with the COVID years, I forget which ones are which. So yes, in 18 they failed to qualify. I did not watch U.S. soccer for a year. I was so angry and so disappointed and could not believe it. I was at one of those World Cup qualifiers that took place in New Jersey where the Red Bulls play. And that crowd just wanted to break loose, just wanted to go full throat, full throttle. But this is how it happens with Team USA.

They'll give you flashes of brilliance, but for the most part, it's an identity that is so frustrating. They're great athletes. They're in incredible physical shape. The conditioning is always amazing for Team USA. They could run for days.

The difference is the skill level for a lot of them, not all of them. And the fact that when things seem to go haywire, when, for instance, the calls aren't going their way. And there were a lot of fouls in the first half of this game tonight. A couple of injuries, they needed substitutions.

So I get it. There's a lot happening. But what seems to always develop when they're being pushed or they're being squeezed or they're facing adversity is that they're a day late, a dollar short. They're a step behind and they just can't seem to generate the aggressive offense. I mean, again, there are times where you see the capabilities, but it always seems to be U.S. back on its heels, paying more attention to defending. This kind of prevent defense, if you will.

The midfield forward just not being aggressive enough and never seeming to be aggressive, as aggressive as our opponents who play like their pants are on fire a lot of times. And that's really something that you'll get with Hispanic countries for sure. They go for broke. They've got nothing to lose.

And if they can take down Big Bad USA, more power to them. They play with wild abandon in many cases, and the United States does not do that. Sometimes I feel like they overthink it. I don't know, it seems like a collective mentality, but you can't blame one person or one manager or one coach because it's been this way for decades with Team USA. Even when they do have some of the best strikers in the world, best midfielders in the world. Again, Christian Pulisic, he's one of the top players on the entire planet. But if you don't have other guys who are as aggressive, a midfield who can push, it's a mentality. By the way, if you'd like to watch the match, they just restarted it on FS1. It's just so frustrating.

It's not dynamic. Honestly, it can be pretty boring at times watching them play. Their style of play is just, it's safe.

It's too safe and it's too conservative. And yes, sometimes it does the trick. But when you only generate three shots on goal, and you're clearly not as quick as your opponent, you're not as aggressive as your opponent. To me, that points back to mentality and just decades of the same problem. What goes around has seemingly come around again for Team USA. Maybe this is a wake-up call.

Maybe this is it. But there are a lot of fingers being pointed right now, and a bunch of them are pointed at Greg Berhalter. You will hear from him coming up. Yeah, they're one minute in. Go. Watch the game. Just kidding, don't.

Yeah, don't. Three shots on goal. Three shots on goal in 90 minutes in stoppage time. Three shots on goal.

You can't win a hockey game with three shots on goal? I mean, it's just, yeah. It's astounding that it's happening again.

Jay, I'm getting flashbacks. PTSD over Team USA. I would say I'm surprised, but that's not the case, so. That's the thing is you really can't be surprised, because it seems like it happens this way. It seems like they're stuck on this style that they want to play, but this style hasn't worked in 20-plus years, so maybe try something else. Maybe.

Maybe try something else. And don't rehire the same coach that you fired for the same problems, what, eight years ago? Well, he was with them in the last World Cup. Was he the last World Cup? Yeah, Greg Berhalter was the last World Cup, but remember before that it was Bruce A- Not Bruce Arians, he's the football coach. It was Bruce, what was his last name?

Oh shoot, it's going to drive me crazy. We actually had him on the show right after he was let go by Team USA. US Soccer Coach Bruce Arena. Arians Arena is very close, yeah.

And we had him on the show, and he talked about some of the issues with Team USA. And so, here we go again. Still two years to go until the World Cup. All they needed was a win or a draw. If you can't win, at least draw. Score one goal so you can advance out of group stage.

Nope. How is it that two years before the World Cup they're actually dropping to new lows? Ugh. So, for me, this is probably the most disappointing team of my lifetime as an adult sports fan. And I would say, I would definitely say vociferously that I'm still a fan of Team USA, US Soccer. I grew up on soccer.

Gosh, my job in college, one of them was to do the public announcing for the PA for our soccer teams. I love soccer, but I keep getting punched in the gut by cheering for this team. Most disappointing team of my lifetime.

I posed this question to Jay earlier. Who's the most disappointing team of your adult lifetime? And I guess it doesn't even have to be adult. If you feel like there are disappointing teams from when you're a kid that scarred you, well then, go ahead, use that one. Most disappointing team of your lives.

On our Twix, at Amy After Hours, on mine, at ALaw Radio, in Facebook, meta world, metaverse, whatever he calls it, named after the show, and this is producer Jay's final show with us. We're also going to go through some of our highlights of working together for nearly three years, not quite, but nearly three years, and there might be a couple surprises. Thanks for joining us.

Thanks for letting me vent my frustration. TempCheck, what kind of summer are we having this year? A family road trip summer? A beach bum summer?

Or a wake me when the sun sets summer? With Instacart, choose your own adventure and skip the shopping side quests. Where available, you can get ice cream delivered to your hotel, sunscreen to the pool, or cold brew to your bed. Well, store, in as fast as 30 minutes. Wherever you find yourself this summer, you can get the goods. Download Instacart for free delivery on your first three orders.

Offer valid for a limited time, minimum $10 per order, excludes restaurants. Additional terms and fees apply. We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature, whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to, or the succulents that adorn our homes. Nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With AllTrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on-trail navigation.

Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with AllTrails. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. And one thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own. So you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter. From plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well.

Hire high quality certified pros at angie.com. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Music You see Verhalter this year just went 1-1. Free kick for Uruguay after the rain of foul. De La Cruz sends it in.

Turner to save. The rebound's a goal. US looking at the side hoping to see a flag come up. It's not going to come up.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. That is the call on Fox Sports FS1 airing the game again right now between Team USA and Uruguay. And I know in my frustration I've gone back and forth between Uruguay and Uruguay.

It's actually Uruguay so please forgive me for offending our opponent in Copa America from earlier this evening. Kansas City had a packed house. You know what Arrowhead's like. It's loud. It wasn't a sellout but the entire lower bowl was full. The second deck was full and most of the upper deck.

Few thousand empty seats maybe but it was an awesome crowd. If you've never been to a World Cup qualifier or even a US friendly against some of the better nations around the world. It's dynamic.

It's electric. There's so much energy. This team has unwavering support from American fans around the country. Everywhere they go Team USA gets the outlaws and the chanting and the kids that show up. And here we are two years out from hosting a World Cup and begging. Fans are begging to see them rise to the occasion.

And yet it's more of the same. And I'm telling you I'm almost bracing for disappointment. I know they'll qualify but if it's just another hey barely get out of group stage. Maybe get to elimination.

Lose that first elimination game. Same as what it seems like. It's just a pattern.

It's over and over and over again. I just feel like I need to brace for that or start to prepare for it now. Lower my expectations. So as I'm dealing with my what feels like eternal disappointment over Team USA. The US men's national team. I'd like to hear from you.

What's the most disappointing team in your lifetime? On Twix at A Law Radio just retweeted the post put up by producer Jay. Also on our Facebook page named after the show.

Easy peasy. We're going to hear the criticisms of longtime national team member Alexi Lawless. And also Greg Berhalter. Now one of the first questions he got asked was about the goal.

If you haven't seen it. It happened late in the first half. It was on a free kick in front of Matt Turner. And of course there's a line of players that are between the Uruguay. The Uruguay player who was taking the kick and then Matt Turner.

So there's that long line. If you don't know the rules of soccer. Offsides is. It's a rule. It's actually different than the NHL.

So sometimes people get confused. In soccer you have to have. An opponent between you and the goal. Until the ball goes over the top.

Right. So you cannot break and get behind an opponent. Until the ball is either even with you or past you.

One of those things. So you can't cherry pick in other words. Again there has to be an opponent between you and the goal. Unless the ball is directly overhead or in front of you. So in the case of the goal. If you look at the replay. And it's out there.

It's all over social media. It's a rebound. That gives Uruguay the goal.

And it certainly does look like. So Matt Turner makes a save. He dives forward to his left. To his left. To his right. He dives forward. Our left. His right. He dives forward to the right.

He kind of bats it out. There's a Uruguay player that is right there. And what Team USA is saying is that. When the ball went out. He became offsides because the ball was behind him. He was closer to the goal than the ball. Did I explain that right? I just want to make sure.

Marco is in here and obviously Producer J. Well it's when the ball is hit. So it's when the player headed the ball.

They felt that the Uruguay player at that point was offside. So he couldn't be the first one to hit it after the save was made by the goalkeeper. That's when you're offside. It's when the ball is hit. So the ball got hit. It was on a free kick. The first one was okay because it didn't matter. He was offsides but it didn't matter at that point as long as he gets back on. When the ball was hit again it was redirected off a header.

At that point he needs to be even or behind every defender. They felt like his arm was a little bit over. Because that's basically what it comes down to. It's part of your body. It's not your entire body.

It's got to be part of your body. You have to have everything even or behind it. They felt he was a little over off the redirect on the header when contact was made.

And it's a bang bang too. Which is why they felt he couldn't be the first player to touch it after the keeper save. It was tight. Did I think he was a little bit over? I thought he was a little bit over. But I wasn't shocked. By an arm?

I wasn't shocked. VAR, I mean, it's got an issue. It's got its issues. To be honest with you, I think it's almost kind of like the offsides with hockey and the same thing. You watch the play.

It develops for 45 seconds. Then you go back on replay and you're like, oh no, his skate might have been touched. We've gotten a little too far.

Same thing with VAR. I feel like we have gotten a little bit. It was fingertip pass. It was tight. It was close. I thought he was offsides.

I'm not stunned. Some of the pictures, I mean, they'll show that he's offsides. Like his foot is into the zone when the ball is coming in.

So it's not in yet. Again, it's got to be when it's off his head. It's when it's hit. Once the ball is hit, then you're good.

Then you can take off. So it depends on what angle and what time you stop it. Because you can see and you go, wow, the ball is off his head by a good three or four inches.

Well, back it up a little bit. It's got to be almost like, think about basketball when the ball is off your fingertips. It's the second it comes off your fingertips. Is it good at the buzzer? Same thing for off the head or off the foot or whatever it is.

The second it comes off your body, now you're good. Now are you offsides at that point? Actually, I guess I got it backwards. So I'm thinking of hockey.

Goodness. Right, so hockey, it's where the puck is. Soccer, it's... Yeah, it's the second it goes off of the player.

Whether you're using your foot or your head or your chest or whatever the situation is. Once the ball is off your body, that's where he needs to be onsides and that's when you can take off. So if you were onsides the whole way and then after it's gone, you wind up behind the defender, perfect.

That's what you're looking for. So if you think about basketball, you can't jump into the lane until the player releases. Although sometimes in basketball, I think one's international, one's not. Or you can't get into the lane until it hits the rim, actually. Right, and if you shoot the free throw, you can't get into the lane until it hits the rim. So it's got a little bit of a different rule as opposed to the guys who are on the side.

There is a lot, look, it's a little complicated, it's a little intricate, it's a little ticky tack. Was he likely offsides? Likely. I got to be fair though, I'm not really sympathetic to the plight of whether or not this was offsides and you think that this is why you lost this game. No, you had three shots on goal. You got outplayed and second, you lost to Panama. Third, Panama beat Bolivia, so even if you tied, you still weren't advancing. So the idea of you're going to yell at the clouds, this is on you. I mean there are other pictures though that are out there on social that show a US player who's got a foot that looks like it's flush with the Uruguay athlete.

Right, I don't know his name. So depending upon the pictures and the angles, there I guess is a debate about it. And let's be fair, the angles for most of this game felt like you were watching it from the top of a roof.

So it wasn't the greatest to begin with and the depth perception, like you could see the field, but the depth perception gets a little messed up being so far away. And same thing with some of those replays. It's hard to really say exactly how far the ball is off the player's head. When you're saying like you can look at it and go, well look, he's clearly offsides. The ball was already struck, so you got to back it up to the exact spot. And I think that's where the VAR struggled in this regard because they couldn't find a spot where it was automatic or you could say, yeah, it's definitely offsides. I think they looked at it and go, it's really close, we're not sure, and they let the goal stand. Yeah, it's definitely something that the U.S. can use as their rally flag, except that it's not the reason they lost. I mean, they give up the one goal, as you point out, Panama had ended up with three goals against Bolivia, so it wasn't going to matter unless they also won.

A draw wouldn't have worked anyway. Yeah, so this was frustrating. Anyway, Greg Berhalter, he's answering questions about his tenure, but he's also answering questions about that goal, which seems a little bit silly. It's pretty crazy, really.

I don't understand it. You know, I feel like I know the rule pretty well. I feel like we had the pictures that are showing how the rule could be interpreted, and it's an offside goal. It's disappointing, it really is, but that happens in football, and we have to live with it, obviously. So then, what about being eliminated, which is not just about this game, but it's about the performance overall? I'm bitterly disappointed with the results. We know that we're capable of more, and this tournament, we didn't show it.

It's really as simple as that. I think that you look at the stage that was set with the fans in this tournament, with the high level of competition in this tournament, and we should have done better. We'll do a review and figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong, but I think it's an empty feeling right now, for sure. Berhalter was rehired last summer, so about a year ago, and his contract runs through the World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting. So it's a North American host, kind of a joint effort, but the championship is here. And here we go in Copa America. Last time the United States was part of this tournament, it made it to the semifinals and lost to Argentina. This year, out in group stage.

So yay, friendlies coming up. But one of the last things that USA soccer fans will remember about this is the chance of Fire Greg, Fire Greg coming from the top of Arrowhead in Kansas City. So you'll hear him response to the calls for his head, plus Alexi Lawless with some pointed comments, not just about Greg Berhalter, but also about Team USA as a whole. And he certainly is a powerful voice in this arena, considering his success in the red, white, and blue when he was a star for Team USA. Who's the most disappointing team of your lifetime?

On Twix, at Amy After Hours, and also on our Facebook page. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. It's difficult to say right now. Obviously, the emotions are running high. I mean, we had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but at the end of the day, just not enough quality.

Yeah, I felt like we gave it everything, but I just couldn't find the solutions to score. This is app. Look around. What do you see? Cars? Lots of them. And guess what? They're probably on AutoTrader.

Whether you're into timeless classics or the latest trends. Did somebody say solar-powered, eco-friendly, vegan leather-wrapped, aroma-therapy-scented, disco-ball-equipped self-driving car? If you see it on the road, you can likely find it on AutoTrader. Big cars, small cars, blue cars, new cars and used cars, electric cars. And one day, maybe even flying cars.

With millions of options to choose from, buying a car becomes a whole lot easier. See it. Find it.

AutoTrader. Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug? Ignored a leaky faucet? Pretended your half-painted living room is supposed to look that way? Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects.

Whether it's a door that sticks or a disorganized closet or an AC unit that only works half the time, it all matters. You just haven't taken care of it yet. But there's an easier way. Just download the Thumbtack app. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly-rated pros right in your neighborhood.

Check prices, reviews and book a pro right on the spot. Plus, you'll know what to tackle next. Because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire and when. Pull out your phone and in just a few taps, say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects. And say hello to caring for your home the easier way.

Download Thumbtack and start a project today. After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The voice of Christian Felicic, who is the best player for Team USA and he's dynamic. Often times though, even with guys like Tyler Adams, who's supposed to be really good, I mean is really good, I don't want to completely denigrate the players on this team because they are individually very good players, strong athletes, great conditioning, they've got skills, they're the best of what we have to offer. However, it seems like a lot of times Felicic gets the majority of the attention from opposing teams. He gets roughed up a ton too, a little bit smaller, he gets a... Whenever the officials, the ref is not looking, you can be sure that somebody's taking a pot shot or throwing a shoulder or roughing up Christian Felicic. It's like hitting the balls.

He draws so much attention, which is a tribute to who he is, think Kaitlyn Clark. Anyway, where do they go from here? Well, try to get some rest, try to recover.

It's obviously disappointing. But yeah, from a preparation standpoint, tournaments are way better because you're in that mode that you'll use for the World Cup. You're in that mode where if you win, you continue playing. Friendlies are just that, they're one-offs.

They don't mean squat, especially not when you have to qualify, or don't have to qualify, I should say, for the World Cup. Actually, as the game is on in front of me here on FS1, Uruguay nearly scores again, Matt Turner got juked, he was way out of position, and it was only another US defender that was able to kick the ball away to make sure they weren't already down 1-0 when the controversial goal happened. Jay and I went back and did a quick dive on offsides. We are right. So Jay and I were a little confused by what Marco was saying, which is okay. But in soccer, offsides means that there is not a second defender, so count the goalie as one defender, there's not a second defender between you and the goal before the ball gets there.

Okay, so here's what has to happen. In order for you not to be offsides, there has to be another defender and the ball. So you've got to wait for the ball to get to you before you break, because that's offsides. Again, you can't cherry pick. You can't get down behind the last defender, other than the goalie, and just wait for the ball to come sailing in.

You can't do that. There has to be another defender there. The goal is so cavernous. It's obviously huge compared to, say, a hockey net or a basketball hoop. And so the reason they do that is because if you send a player, just a streaker, not that kind of streaker, you send a streaker downfield and wait for the pass to go over the top, and you don't have to worry about another defender being back there, the goalie is almost a sitting duck. So offsides, you have to wait for the ball. And it's bang-bang when it comes to things like offensive rebounds. I understand the case.

I get the video replay. You're going to get arguments on both sides of it. Ultimately, as we talked about with Marco, that's not why Team USA lost.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. Greg Berhalter asked about his tenure as the head coach, and also if things can continue to go the way they are for Team USA. That's what we're going to take a look at. We're all going to do a review of the whole tournament and then see where we fell short. It's obvious that the Panama game hurt us, put us behind the eight ball. And I think collectively the staff, the players, the sporting department, we need to look at where do we improve, how do we do better. It's not the aspirations that we have as a group. We know it's a talented team with big potential, and we didn't show it in this tournament.

That's definitely the case. He was asked about his job tenure, asked whether or not he should be the one who continues as the head coach of the Americans for the World Cup. Are you the right person? And he responded simply, yes. Who's the most disappointing team of your lifetime?

On Twix, at Amy After Hours, or on my Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Alexi Lawless is just first part of what he had to say about the leadership for Team USA. The summer of 26 is an opportunity. It's an opportunity not just for American soccer, but for the country and the country to come together. You need somebody that is going to pull people together. And right now, and I think Greg Berhalter, because of the fact that he has failed to a certain extent, has not given people hope that it is heading in the right direction. And so he has become incredibly polarizing. And that's just because of the results that have happened. If they believe that he is the right person to take us in 26, that is not going to change. There will be continued polarization. And I want somebody in there that is going to bring everybody together. We all have different opinions. And I agree or disagree. But ultimately, in this lead up now, because you heard him say, the next two years, there really isn't anything out there in terms of real competition.

This was it. So whatever progress is going to be made in the next couple, has to be made by somebody that's going to bring everybody together. Because when that whistle blows in the summer of 2026, I want everybody in America, whether they love soccer or not, to say, you know what? I am on board with this. And you need a leader in that position that's going to get the best out of the players and that is going to bring everybody together, not divide people. He definitely can be polarizing.

We know that. I don't mind a coach with some tenacity. I don't mind a coach who's fearless.

Think Bill Belichick. Now, he's earned more credibility, of course. More rope, if you will, than Greg Berhalter.

But I don't mind a guy who cares more about making the right choices than he does about hurting feelings. Now, I don't love how he handled the Claudio Reyna situation. That was Gio Reyna, but Claudio Reyna being his friend and former teammate. I don't love how he handled the Reyna situation, but Reyna actually played in this game against Uruguay.

He started in place of Tim Weah, who was suspended. It's a mess. And this is about the low point again in this run-up to the 2026 World Cup. They might have just hit rock bottom again.

So how do they fix it? Well, Alexi Lawless has got some more thoughts on that, but this is certainly disappointing. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Look around. What do you see? Cars. Lots of them. And guess what? They're probably on Auto Trader.

Whether you're into timeless classics or the latest trends. Did somebody say solar-powered, eco-friendly, vegan leather-wrapped, aromatherapy-scented, disco-ball-equipped self-driving car? If you see it on the road, you can likely find it on Auto Trader. Big cars, small cars, blue cars, new cars and used cars, electric cars, and one day, maybe even flying cars. With millions of options to choose from, buying a car becomes a whole lot easier. See it. Find it.

Auto Trader. Here's why April chose to vaccinate her child. I think actually meeting someone who was not vaccinated and now has a lifelong struggle with a childhood disease really cemented for me that it's super important that we, as parents, continue to vaccinate our children.

Talk to your pediatrician or visit WhyVaccines.com. Brought to you by Merck. You sit in traffic now, but later, there's an ice cold reward. Medela, the mark of a fighter. You've earned this rich golden lager with a crisp, refreshing taste because you know all your patience is paid out in gold. You remain calm through haunts, bumper to bumper, and people yelling. You are a fighter, and Medela is your reward. Medela, the mark of a fighter. Trick responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Import Chicago, Illinois.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-07-02 06:43:09 / 2024-07-02 07:00:51 / 18

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime