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Now, on with the show. Oh my god, you guys are my favorites. This is The Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen.
I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant.
Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me. It saves time. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
And now, sitting in for Rich. It's Brian Weber. Welcome to the program. Always an honor to sit in for Rich and the fellas coming off a long holiday weekend. Hope you had a great Independence Day.
The countdown, the first touch in Seattle, underway for the biggest game yet. In the history of American soccer and World Cup play taking on Belgium Tonight in the Emerald City. And everything changed yesterday with the bombshell from FIFA announcing that American star for Lauren Balogen is eligible to play tonight. We'll go through the fallout. We'll get your reaction.
I normally throw the gimmick early in the program that phone calls are taken selectively because I've learned through experience most of you would rather talk to Rich than the substitute teacher, but Given the range of opinions. On this topic, because we're all soccer experts now. There's outrage, there's jubilation. Pick up the phone, especially in this first hour, because we're wide open, just me and you, for the initial 60 minutes, 844-204. Rich, 844-204-7424.
If you want to hit me up on social media, your best bet is the X platform, BW Weber. Weber with two B's. No guest until hour number two when we talk NBA with Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press in 20 minutes. I'll focus on The latest decision for LeBron. Where will he be taking his talents this time?
And coming up in 45 minutes.
Now that Travis Kelce, I'm getting emotional because it was the wedding of the century, picked up his wedding ring on Friday, and according to People magazine, Rich Eisen was in the house at Madison Square Garden. What are the chances he'll win another Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs this year? We'll get there coming up.
So. If you have endured my act over the years, and if you were with us on Friday, no days off, no days off, even on a holiday on ESPM Radio, and I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich. Hop aboard at 844-204-7424. It probably came through, especially on the day before Independence Day. I don't have much of a life.
And maybe, arguably, that's why I'm compelling to a degree as a fill-in host, but It may not come as a surprise to you that I spent the majority of my Saturday, yes, there's a T in there, mapping out. A monologue that was going to be filled with outrage. How can corrupt FIFA Keep R, yes, because it's all about Team USA, our leading scorer off the field. This makes no sense. And then yesterday, like the rest of the American sporting populace, I was stunned.
And I've been doing this longer than my enthusiastic delivery would suggest. It's rare that I'm even mildly surprised anymore. I was flat out stunned that FIFA Did the right thing. And then I had that weird brain freeze. Am I going to have to go into the studio across all of the great affiliates on ESPN radio?
Or if you're listening on the app or Sirius XM Channel 80 or tune in, however, you're enjoying this audio experience. Am I gonna have to do the unthinkable? And say I support FIFA? And thankfully. There's enough nuance here that That I don't have to do that because my head would explode, and that would literally be the definition of trying to do the impossible.
Before we go through all of the nuance and how we arrived at this monumental decision, first. Let's hear from a man who was benefited by FIFA, quote unquote, doing the right thing, as you might expect. Mauricio Pochitino, head coach of the U.S. men's national team, was thrilled that his leading scorer would not miss any additional time on the pitch. We were punished enough against Bosnia and Herzegovina to play.
with ten men, thirty minutes in a decision that was complete and fair. But it's not only because I am the head coach of the US men national team, I need to defend my s my side. It's only because I think it's a one hundred percent or ninety nine percent because always some people. Ninety nine point nine percent that We all you know, agree that was an unfair red card. Pochettino Making big money, reportedly six million dollars a year, and earning every dime of it with the results so far.
Of the U.S. men's national team, but he's not just going to be a shill to earn that paycheck. If you know anything about the beautiful game and I know just enough soccer to be Dangerous, and I'm not going to read my resume anymore. That bet has gotten even tedious for yours, truly. Here's a soccer lifer in Pochatino who played for the World Cup for Argentina, who has had success across the world as a head coach.
He knows right from wrong. And even if you're a casual fan, when you watch the incident occur in real time, Wednesday night, Santa Clara in the San Francisco Bay Area. And here's where it gets murky because we say, well, there was no intent when Balogan. Got tangled up with the player from Bosnia, Herzegovina. That's not.
Important. That's not significant. It's about the act itself because, as we talk about, say, with a flagrant foul, how can you figure out intent? Unless you got a mind reader, a 1-800 Miss Jackie available. It's about the action itself.
And as. We watched because the ratings are spectacular. Anybody with a T V these days. Is watching soccer, especially in the United States. As we watch that unfold, the reaction across social media was justified.
I didn't even think it was a yellow card in real time.
Now we go to VAR, everything slowed down, and the impact of the contact is magnified. The red card upgrade was ridiculous, but as Pochettino points out, there was a penalty. After all, I know it feels like ancient history coming off the long holiday weekend. And I'm Brian Weber, always receptive to having a conversation with you on The Rich Isen Show: 844-204-RICH-844-204-7424. United States had a play.
A man down for a big chunk of that game. And it was a r Credit to their tenacity and teamwork and resolve that they didn't blink. In fact, they picked up another goal to win that game 2-0.
So We were spending all of the time leading up to today wondering how does the United States account for the loss of their leading goal scorer. And we were not the only people as media types and soccer fans who were running through that equation. That's what Belgium was tasked with. With their game plan, because they spent until yesterday when they found out. that everything had changed thanks to FIFA.
They were getting ready with all of their training to face a United States team that wouldn't have Balogun and presumably would count on the face of American soccer and Christian Pulusich and other folks like Ricardo Peppi to. Be more instrumental in the attacking third, and that's just a fancy way of saying offensive soccer, because you can chop the field into thirds like anything else in life. Breaking Down the Pitch is the name of a podcast. It's available only on the ESPM radio app. And then FIFA I still cannot believe the words are coming out of my mouth.
I'm like Fonzi, another contemporary reference, when he was forced to say I'm sorry or is wrong. I'm rurr r r r r r Fa was r r right. Out of nowhere we get this Justification from among the most corrupt sporting organizations in the world. And I'm saying that with a firm stance, knowing lawyers could get involved. But I don't have to be Bob Lee or Jeremy Schapp or Flash Journalist or Credentials to point out that FIFA has had many questionable actions and decisions over the years when it comes to integrity.
Suddenly, yesterday, the Sunday Surprise, they invoke Article 27 of their code of discipline, which now every soccer fan is going to rep with a t-shirt, especially if you're attending the game tonight in the Emerald City. And without getting bogged down in the minutia, essentially, it gives FIFA the power to step in and say the red card is suspended. If you care about the rest of the details, Falogan now, Balogun, that is, is it faux Balogun? Is in a probationary period.
So. Is there precedent for this? Not in the World Cup, but if you track the road to the biggest international sporting event in the year, Leading up to What's going on here in 2026 towards the end of last year? In the quality round of play, one of the biggest stars in the world, Ronaldo, got ticketed with a red card and was going to have a three game suspension. And then, thanks to Article twenty seven, FIFA stepped in and said no, he Is on probation like Balogun, and what do you know?
A marquee name for a soccer power was allowed to play. And it's a directly analogous situation here. Because FIFA always protects its stars. and nations that are politically Powerful. And we can read into that on a couple levels.
Because it does reflect United States Ascension onto that next tier behind the true.
Soccer powers like France and Argentina and Spain and England, at least small sample size in this tournament, and undeniably points out the star power of Balogu now. If you want to get into A different slant on this. Certainly, it's a bad look for the White House to get involved, but two things can be equally true. The outcome was right. Because the red card should never have been enforced in the first place.
Maybe a yellow card. And again, I don't want to pretend like I'm a soccer expert, but It's been such great theater and I watched all of last night's Dramatic back and forth epic match. Between Mexico and England, and another goal for Harry Kane. And the atmosphere was sensational. The audio bleeding through the TV on my couch felt like I was dealing with the altitude of Mexico City, but.
As we had a few days to try to process what happened to Balogun on Wednesday night. Everybody went to social media to point out that there was an incident involving the great Messi in Algeria in which he was much more physical and he did not even get a yellow car. Why? Because he's Messi. And superstars have a different set of officiating standards than the Ham and Eggers.
So that's another sign that the U. S. has taken a major step forward in that our best player is getting respect from FIFA.
Well, that's one part of how we got to this run-up to this hugely significant game tonight between the United States and Belgium and Seattle. The other part is process. And this is gonna get really boring, so let me do it pretty quickly. But since I was lucky enough to be with you on Friday, I was going through some of the quotes from Pochitino when he was talking to reporters the day before. And they filled him in.
Because it was so ambiguous that in the World Cup there's no appeal process for a red card. And he's Rightfully pointed out that every other league in soccer has a direct protocol, but FIFA is always going to go FIFA, and soccer often goes soccer. Following day In the afternoon, it became official. The United States learned from FIFA that, in fact, there's no way the Balogim was getting on the field tonight. The red card would be enforced.
And then everything changed on Sunday.
So the process is flawed. And I think however you see the situation. Anybody who is fair-minded just wants transparency and consistency, and that's what you never get from FIFA. You get the sense that they're making it up as they go along. And I'm not even going to do the ignorant American rant about what is offside.
We're better than that. We've all learned enough about soccer, even those of us in the media who are faking it to a degree.
So, what's it all mean? We'll let you know coming up to start hour number two of the show. We'll talk a little bit of tactical soccer. I'm not qualified to break it down in granular detail. We'll do that tomorrow.
Looking forward to our conversation with Dandy Higginbottom. You've heard him call World Cup games for Fox, and you see him on the MLS and Apple TV, a former player in both the Premier League and MLS. But coming up in hour number two, Yes. The return of Balogun changes everything, but what about things from the Belgian perspective? And should we be much more mindful of what they can do on the attack?
This will be, without question, the most skilled offensive team the United States has faced so far. But with Balogun eligible to play, there are no excuses. With it all in front of Team USA, this is a match they have to win to keep the momentum going, not only in this tournament and maybe the impossible dream of competing for a title, although I think that's still a stretch because I think we lose to Portugal or Spain in the next round, the quarterfinals on Friday. But It's been all set up perfectly for the United States thanks to FIFA through a terribly opaque, convoluted. And a process that from a distance has lacked integrity.
I'm Brian Weber. I never thought I would get on a soccer soapbox, but here we are. Hit me up on the X platform, BW Webber. Weber with two B's. Just over a half hour from now.
We'll use Travis Kelsey tying the knot to start the countdown to kick off for the NFL season with training camps opening up. Two weeks from tomorrow. Where should the Chiefs be slotted amongst the balance of power across the AFC? Coming up. We continue to wait for LeBron, who is certainly going to take his time because he loves the attention to make his free agent decision which landing spot would provide the best Ending to his incomparable career that is coming up as we continue.
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This is The Rich Eisen Show. A bandwagon fan, the biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America. Never watched soccer before? Perfect.
Think a corner kick is a karate move? Sure, why not? Prefer sports where players can use their hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks?
Now we're talking.
So grab a bag of Lays and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lays, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Rich Eisen here for gusto. After all these years talking to athletes, coaches, entertainers, and people at the top of what they do, one thing is pretty clear.
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No hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com/slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich. Rich Eisen here with some advice.
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Terms and conditions apply: NMLS 696891. Fast Funds terms apply at sofi.com/slash debt play. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. But we're back with you. As the afterglow of Independence Day continues, it's a Monday edition of The Rich Eisen Show.
I'm primarily saying that to remind myself what day it is, because when you're Fill in Hacky Magoo during the summer. All these days run together, especially because Friday was the national holiday. Coming up, we're talking LeBron James, what his decision should be in terms of the most compelling story to end his brilliant career, what the timetable could be. And then, just over 25 minutes from now, because I get all of my information from People Magazine, if you have the clout. To have your periodical on a big word Monday positioned next to the grocery.
Checkout clerk. That means you are top shelf. Literally, you're right there above the Crossword and Suducco stuff. People magazine reporting. And you can go to Rich's Instagram account, the Rich Eisen among the dignitaries with his lovely bride, Susie Schuster, who you hear all the time filling in here on The Rich Eisen Show.
Among the football community gathering for the nuptials between Travis and Taylor. We'll use that as a catalyst to talk about the Chiefs as we get closer, thankfully, to the start of training camps across the National Football League. More soccer conversation, top of the hour. If you want to weigh in, hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber, WeberwoodTwo B's. And if you throw me a follow or just peruse my account, You'll see my latest attempt.
at being clever.
Now I've I have to explain It's trying to be clever, I probably failed. You might have seen this in other circles because I don't have. The millions of followers like Mr. Eisen does. Former FIFA president Seth Blatter of all people tweeted, and I retweeted it with my tagline: irony is indeed dead.
That red card shouldn't be overturned because of political pressure.
Now, he's not wrong. But it's the classic line of consider the source. We're talking Seb Blatzer. And I'm going to tread lightly because lawyers are always listening. Let's just say you could Google Sepp.
and corruption and get a lot of results. And as we pause the soccer conversation for now, I will frame it this way, and we'll get back to it to start the second hour of the show. Why did the decision take until Sunday? Why did the White House reportedly have to get involved? And how would we feel?
USA USA. If the situation were reversed. I think there would be unbelievable outrage. Speaking of lawyers, every lawyer in every jurisdiction would be running to every courthouse to try to get some kind of injunction. And this is not officially over.
Belgium has appealed the decision.
Now, good luck. Getting any sort of clarity before game time tonight in Seattle, but there's still a tiny chance that Belgium could have their way and keep Baling off the field. LeBron James is brilliant in so many different ways. He is the greatest basketball player of them all statistically. I'll skip the tired trope that I'm old Michael Jordan was better.
The numbers tell the story from the standpoint of longevity and production the all time leading scorer in the history of the NBA. He's also masterful at monopolizing attention.
So As we prepare to go through The pecking order of potential landing spots for the king as he continues to weigh the pros and cons of where he wants to end his career. Let's start first by hearing from ESPN senior NBA insider Sham Sharania addressing the possibility of the Warriors landing LeBron on Get Up. This is a true free agency process because so much has changed, right? There's the fluidity that comes with it with information. A few days ago, the Sixers didn't have Jalen Brown.
So now they do. They did it in stunning fashion. And so now they have to be on the radar of LeBron James. And so where does that fit them? And then the Cavaliers, the Heat, they're two teams that are known quantities.
The Warriors going into free agency. They dreamt up a grand plan of Draymond Green, Stephan Curry, LeBron James. But the big domino with them is trying to get a player like an Anthony Davis.
So you can bring in LeBron James and Anthony Davis as a package deal. Short of that, They're not really looked at right now at the top of this list, but things can change. And Some of the things that could change involve the Washington Wizards. And if you were around on Friday, and I realize most of you had better things to do than listen to a substitute. host on a rare Friday off.
Hopefully you're sticking it to the man today by maximizing your weekend. Believe me, I know all about supersizing. That's why my avatar on the X platform is a photo taken circa 2005. I was on the air when a marginal move was announced. Although I'm based in Southern California, as Rich is, so it had a little bit more resonance here.
The DeAndre Ayton experiment that was an unmitigated disaster for the Lakers finally ended with the word he'd been traded to the Wizards. If you want to connect the dots, that would imply the Wizards are more open to moving Anthony Davis. And if Davis is going to go, all points. Collectively, suggest that the logical destination would be the Golden State Warriors. But we're back to the if game.
So why don't we start by? By establishing what LeBron's goals might be just by taking him at his word and his mouthpiece, his agent, Rich Paul, who has his own podcast, because everybody has a show, but it certainly gives us clarity when it comes to the mindset of his client because. It's not me relying on Shams or Brian Winthorse to interpret. The Brainstruss surrounding LeBron. It's his actual people.
And the word that keeps being reiterated time and time again is happiness. And the goal is to maximize happiness.
So, Let's also think about the big picture. Before LeBron informed the Lakers he'd be taking his talents elsewhere. He went on a reunion trip with the twenty sixteen Cavs, the team that rallied from that 3-1 deficit to stun the Warriors. Although Draymond Greene, a potential future teammate of LeBron, had a lot to do with it, you'll recall. Unable to control his emotions, got suspended for a game.
Everything changed along with the Andrew Bogan injury, but we'll save that for my other podcast. The way things used to be with BWEB, available on the ESPN Radio app. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. You can hop aboard at 844-204-RICH. That's 844-204-7424.
So. If LeBron was tapping into sentimentality with his teammates from that championship that won it all a decade ago when they gathered in the scenic confines of the south of France. Does that suggest That he's looking to go down that road. And that means it's the Cavs. Go home again.
And you can't beat maximum happiness by the ability to return to the area you grew up and. put them in position potentially to contend for another title. Because lost in the debacle that was the Eastern Conference finals as the Knicks team rolled their way past the Cavaliers as they did in the previous round, sweeping the Sixers as that team got unbelievably hot, as you know. Cleveland did make it to the conference finals, which is a Minor achievements. And I say minor based on how poorly they Played, but if you start the year and say, okay, I'll give you the conference finals, you'll take that, especially because the Cavs have been the top seed in the East the year before and flamed out in the postseason.
So it was marginal improvement. They took another step.
Now you might think about, okay, LeBron. Back to Cleveland, that makes sense psychologically. The friends and family aspect. What about fit and situation on the floor? Just as I can never defend FIFA, even when they got the right outcome through a terribly flawed process to get Baligan back on the field tonight.
I cannot. If I have any functioning brain cells left, defend James Harden in the playoffs. You wore what you consistently do, and You can't spell disappearing act without harden. I think you could. There's some letters in there available like Scrabble.
You know the point I'm trying to make here. He goes MIA anytime it is a critical situation, and what's bigger than the postseason? But Harded at this stage of his career is more of a facilitator. He, if you care about counting numbers, I know you kids are all about analytics, stacks up the old school assist tally.
So, If LeBron was insulted by the reality of what had become his circumstance with the Lakers, not only their third option on the floor based on scoring, but their third option financially, because they made it clear to him their priority, as it should have been, was to make sure, and there was a market, surprisingly, for Austin Reeves. Remember, he becomes the first undrafted player, although he could have been drafted by the Pistons, but said I'd rather hit the market. Undrafted player ever to get a max deal.
So if you're LeBron. And you have A supporting cast around you, and you're thinking, okay, well, I'm not going to see the ball that often. I'm also not a financial priority for this team. Let me go to a place where I can achieve both of those goals.
So we're talking happiness of going home. We're talking at this stage of his career, never going to be the alpha he was, but at least the second option, it would be Donovan Mitchell. LeBron and Harden.
Now, you could say, oh, there's not enough basketballs out there. It never seems to work, but these guys are pros and they understand the cohesive aspect of the game. It always does work. To a degree when the superstars get along.
So I think it's clearly Cleveland, and I'm not a prediction markets guy. You can look on your own free time as to what the general consensus of the sporting crowds are. But if we're talking Personal fulfillment, and we're talking about basketball fit. It's Cleveland. Golden State, as Shams laid out, makes a lot of sense from that happiness standpoint because LeBron and Steph are tight.
Again, he'd be option number two, depending on what happens with Jimmy Butler. But don't overlook the fact that Jimmy not only is old, he's still sidelined by that torn ACL. And to make things work with salary cap slotting, I think Butler would be expendable. Remember, all the talk was Butler to Washington for AD, and then Washington uses that. Salary slot to get a little more cap flexibility, and they buy out Jimmy Butler.
But if we're just talking about. What's the best alignment? I would put Golden State right behind Cleveland from that perspective of LeBron and Steph. As the 1A and 1B.
Now, what's that gets you in the West? Because nothing's changing at the top. I still think Oklahoma City is a better team than San Antonio. Yeah, I said it.
Now, I also realize that facts matter, and San Antonio won four out of five head-to-head against the Thunder in the regular season, but you can't overlook the context. And injuries are the variable for everybody, but J. Dubb, in and out of the lineup. Even A.J. Mitchell was.
A sizable loss for the Thunder, taking nothing away from San Antonio, but Those young teams are entrenched at the top of the West.
So the best LeBron is going to do would be potentially rise up to the third slot. Maybe he could do that with the Warriors, but do you think? A team with a combined roster age of 4,035 with Steph, LeBron, and Draymond. can be reliably counted upon to be healthy can play off time. I don't know and you don't know and they won't know.
How about Denver? And I'm gonna credit. The NBA insider for NBC Sports, Kurt Hillen, a good friend of any program that I fill in on. He joined me on Friday. If you missed that show, a reminder, you can catch any portion of any program anytime by listening to the podcast on demand.
It gets pushed out just after the conclusion of the show. When I was going through the pecking order of teams, Kurt added. the Denver Nuggets, which is intriguing. In a couple aspects. LeBron, because as Jay-Z tells us, it's not just a businessman, he's a businessman, is a billionaire, just like Stan Cronke, who owns the Rams.
And LeBron has a relationship with Cronkey, whose assets include the Nuggets. LeBron plus Joker plus Jamal Murray. Undeniably, that's the third best team in the West. And remember, the Nuggets were the three seed this year. They won over fifty games despite the fact that they got hit hard by injuries, including Joker missing a good portion of time.
It seems odd. But this is not about fantasy basketball or forecasting what LeBron looks like in a jersey. Again, it's about happiness. Would he be happy being more of a third wheel there? Murray ascending, all-star for the first time this season, would be deferential to LeBron, but.
It feels more like the Austin Reeves situation that he dealt with in LA. But it bears tracking because of the crunky relationship and the chance to play with the Joker. The T-Wolves have come out of nowhere. And I'm not going to waste our time. Digging too deep into that because my knee-jerk reaction would be: why would LeBron want to be a babysitter on a young team?
And clearly, the third option, now the Lonzo Ball has come over to the T-Wolves, along with The Ant-Man.
So it's out there. I'm not going to dwell on it. Philadelphia is fascinating, as Shams pointed out in passing, but we get back to the if. And if the Warriors could be healthy in the postseason, if Embiid is healthy, but unfortunately, he's made of glass. As a former MVP winner who battled his way back for that Game seven victory for the Sixers on the road in Boston to kick off the playoffs, but then disappeared when they lost next round to the Knicks because he just can't stay healthy.
Still, Jalen Brown plus Maxie plus Edgecombe plus Lebron I think that's the second best team in the East. And if we're talking stories, because LeBron is a producer. People overlook the fact the Sixers haven't won anything since my childhood, 1983, full, full, for they didn't pull off what Moses prophesies on the big word Monday, but that team with Dr. Jay and Ivoroney and Andrew Toney and the rest, as I jump into the top. Moments of my peak years in the early eighties.
Last Philadelphia team to win in 1983. Finally, the heat. Does he go back to South Beach one more time? He would be the running mate to Giannis, because Bam. Still In ways that I can't process.
Magically had the 83-point game against Washington because it came against the Wizards. You're looking for interior production from Bam. I think unless it's a play to get Bronny a roster spot as well, because the Heat have a lot of needs after Bam and Giannis, who's going to knock down shots from the perimeter. Heat are there, it just does not seem like that interesting a story.
So I'm back with you tomorrow. I'll marinate on LeBron some more. I think we get the decision by Thursday or Friday, but I'll throw it out to you on social media. B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs.
What would be the best spot from a storytelling aspect? What's the most compelling place for LeBron to end his career? Obviously, going home makes a ton of sense. And I don't think he can beat that, but... We like to get a spectrum of opinion, and after all, it is a talk show, and it should not just be me talking.
I'm Brian Weber with the burden of matching the inside of Mr. Eisen and the team, doing my best not to burn the studio down. 844-204-Rich, the number to call. Or you can have at it on the X platform, B.W. Weber Weber with two B's in 20 minutes.
Back to. FIFA Quote unquote, doing the right thing, but how in the world can you justify all the days and all of the weirdness it took to get American leading scorer. For Lauren Balgin back on the pitch, we'll use that to start the next hour of the show. Straight ahead, Travis Kelsey got his wedding ring. With Rich Eisen in the house on Friday.
So if we're talking Travis and we're talking Taylor, let's spin it forward and focus on the gridiron. NFL training camps opening up two weeks from tomorrow. Will Travis be adding another Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs this season? All that more coming up on a jam-packed Monday edition of The Rich Eisen Show. Need parts fast?
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Alrighty. Auto bar Hearts. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent, future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach.
We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. Because the future isn't some far-off concept, it's already here.
Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Brian Weber is always a blast. Whenever I have the great opportunity to sit in for Rich Eisen, it is the Rich Eisen Show.
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However, you may be enjoying the program on our string of great affiliates, the ESPM Radio App. Sirius XM Channel 80 or tune in in less than 15 minutes. Back to the pitch. As I say, nil, attacking third, set piece, all soccer knowledge for no reason being flex, but at least it is. Proper context because it's the latest, greatest match, the most significant game in the history of American soccer coming up tonight, 8 Eastern with Team USA at full strength with the surprising reversal from FIFA for Lauren Balogan back on the field, taking on Belgium.
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com slash Eizen. That's LinkedIn. com slash Eizen. Terms and conditions apply. We never get too far away from the NFL.
After all, this is the football show of record, and Mr Eisen remains the face of NFL Network as their first hire in two thousand three. And It felt like the entire football world gathered at the world's most famous arena, Mazda Square Garden, on Friday night. There was even a Mike Rabel sighting. Pretty interesting that He had to step away from Day three of his team's NFL draft to focus on personal priorities, but he had time to show up for the wedding of the century. Although if you care about all the Small details, and I say this as someone who's never been married, and I realize that every detail of a wedding is monumental.
Of course, Travis and Taylor had been officially married before, but this was a gala, an extravaganza. And if I'm going to cite my sources, I got this from People Magazine, and then Rich posted a beautiful shot. Of Mr. Eisen and his bride Susie Schuster, who you hear all the time filling in on the Rich Eisen Show, without mentioning the words Taylor Swift, they were in the house.
So, That got me thinking about... After on Friday, we tried to slot where that wedding belonged. Amongst the Pantheon, the list of the greatest events in the history of MSG. And of course I put it behind WrestleMania 1. Because I have a functioning brain and I I am a fan of the squared circle.
But it gives us the opportunity to spin it forward. I realize we are all now.
soccer maniacs, but Once we get to early July, it means we're starting to crave. The shield. And when we get to tomorrow, we're officially two weeks away. From the rookies for the Panthers and Cardinals to report. Those are the teams playing in the Hall of Fame game to kick off the preseason, and that means football is back.
Now that Travis has that ring, What are the realistic chances he's going to cap his career before he heads into broadcasting with another ring on the field?
Now, Even if you're a casual fan. And I don't know that the NFL has casual fans anymore. But even if perhaps you're listening to the program because you're a Taylor Swift fan and don't track the NFL that closely, you know. Taylor had a lot of heartache when she showed up at Arrowhead Stadium. Because now her husband's team finally hit the wall after The year before, you'll recall, they had all of those tight games that somehow, someway, they pulled out wins miraculously.
They finally had that bill come due. Missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. That's a. Unbelievably magnificent run in a league built entirely on parity. And just about every year, some team goes from worst to first to make a major reversal, as we saw with the Patriots last year when they took advantage of that easy schedule to ignite the run to the Super Bowl.
So What are realistic expectations for the Chiefs this year?
Well, first, As I was posing the question about, say, LeBron. joined the geriatric warriors. What is the state of Patrick Mahomes going to be in games that matter? Because he's coming back from the torn ACL. And I want to tread lightly here because I'm not Jack La Lane.
I'm not Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was thinking about famous people from Belgium in advance of the big match against the United States tonight. I'm no Jean-Claude Van Damme. I'm not from Brussels and I don't have any muscles, so I'm not going to body shame Mahomes. But anytime you see a picture of him enjoying his best life with his shirt off, Let's just say he could use a little more muscularity.
He's no superstar Billy Graham back in the day.
So. We're talking about a guy who is not the classic physical specimen, but the only small Good news in his return, as we know, He only runs when he has to, and he's got that uncanny ability to find a seam on third and 17 and get 17 and a quarter yards.
So. Let me know when we feel good about Mahomes being Mahomes again. But I'm not going to, in any way, say it's the death of their dynasty just because he's coming back from that serious knee injury. And. Because Brent Veach is an outstanding GM and the Chiefs are a very well-run organization, what do you think the motivation to get Kenneth Walker the third was?
Established the ground game. They have not had a reliable lead running back for a minute. And if we're talking about the most important reasons why Seattle won it all, it was their defense one, it was Walker II as he earned Super Bowl MVP honors.
Now, the return of Kelsey means even more because that receiving core, let's just be kind. has some holes to fill. And are you going to tell me that Rasheed Rice is going to stay out of jail because you are what you consistently do, or be 100% as he comes back from his own knee injury? We don't know those things with clarity. The defense lost a pair of corners to the Rams, but since everybody is now a draft expert, you know, they used a top 10 pick to bolster the secondary.
So, all told. I see them much improved over the sixth win tally last year. I'm talking nine, ten, eleven wins, which should be good enough to win the AFC West because if I'm asking about what is a likely outcome, is it likely that Denver is going to match 11 wins in one score games that they achieved last year that tied the NFL record? That ain't happening. Call regression to the mean.
Raiders will be better, but not close to contending for the playoffs. And since we crushed Lamar Jackson for his lack of postseason success, allow me to remind you: Justin Herbert now is 0-3 in playoff games and underachieved once more in that wild card loss when he was put on the field. Coming up against the Patriots on their way to the Super Bowl. Could be another ring in Travis' future as we get set for hour number two of the Rich Eisen Show. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
Mm-hmm.
