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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. Is the final hour of the program? Appreciate you spending some time with us, especially with a guest host in the chair for Rich and the fellows. You can share your thoughts on social media.
My handle on the X platform is bwweber. Weber with two B's. Straight ahead, one final pass through the fallout of what happened last night to team USA on the wrong end of a comprehensive victory by a vastly superior Belgian team. We never get too far away from the gridiron, and there is justification today College football is back officially. With the Big Twelve going first, the first of two media days underway in Frisco, Texas.
I will use that as a platform to get you fully lined up for what's coming up in the fall, just 20 minutes from now when we're joined by Stuart Mandel of the Athletic. And it's backed by popular demand. Or at least that's what the voices in my head say. In 50 minutes, as much as I have strived to be comprehensive and complete with hard-hitting analysis, perhaps I've missed something or two. Like an epic comeback by Argentina against Egypt in the World Cup, but.
I'll take you behind the curtain. If I'm ever lucky enough to be a part of the simulcast on Disney Plus, you will see. A man gesticulating a lot, waving my arms. Who's got One, two, three, four manila folders with just a slew of illegible notes.
So I'm better in an audio-only. setting as we are today, unless there's a hidden camera. And it's some other version of impractical jokers, but that would only be on True TV after all. I am reluctant to talk about other sporting events going on because I got so beat up as a young broadcaster. When I was coming up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Even though I was on the Giants flagship station, I was on their version of the deuce.
So the Giants were playing an important game. I kept giving the score, and the PD came in and said, Why don't you just come on there and say, Hey, stop listening to my show, flip over to that game. It's more interesting. I'll just say in passing. It felt like Argentina was in the ground, six feet under.
Egypt with a stunning 2-0 lead. Then everything changed. Of course, the great Messi getting involved. Argentina on top. 3-2.
They're in stoppage time. Yeah. It felt like A monumental upset was going to occur. And now Argentina on the brink of booking a spot in the last quarterfinal with the. Winner of this match, taking you on the winner of the match coming up between Colombia and Switzerland.
Let's talk Team USA. If you've been cycling in, cycling out, I've tried to be consistent without being over the top. That My biggest issue with how things developed last night was just the lack of attention to detail for the United States, sloppy mistakes, mental miscues, and They just did not have a Enough of The resolve. The fortitude they had shown throughout the tournament last night, especially because they were playing a much better team. And that disparity was obvious.
From the early goings, because it took less than 10 minutes for Belgium to grab the 1-0 lead on their way to that 4-1 beat down. Let us get analysis from the great Jeremy Schapp of ESPN. Last night he added context. The United States lost to Belgium on game night here on ESPN Radio. We're talking about a level at which we have seen the U.
S. Crash out time and again over the course of the last quarter century. When they have gotten out of the group stage, when they have qualified for the tournament, so taking, putting aside 2006 and 2018, this is where they exit. This is, you know, 2010. You know, I was there, we lost to Ghana in the round of 16.
2014, it was Belgium, despite Tim Howard's heroics in that game in Salvador. 2022, it was the Dutch. And this time, it was the Belgians. And this was not one of those games where they can walk away from it and say, boy, we were so close, right? This was a thrashing.
This was comprehensive. They were lucky to be down by a goal at the half. Jeremy, as always, summing it up well. I like that thrashing. I've been trying to be a little bit more polite because I want to be supportive of our boys, but.
There's no way of sugarcoating what happened last night. You could make it even more crass. It was an ass kicking. And I don't think it should have been that shocking. Because Belgium is good.
Now, I can understand how we all got swept up in. The enthusiasm of what the United States was doing, but maybe since Jeremy, as always, offering the proper perspective, alluded to. What Tim Howard was doing back. In the day in goal for the United States. After the United States erupted for four goals, beat Paraguay for whatever, remember, Paraguay.
Although they mucked it up, they went with some goon tactics against France. They only lost to France, one nothing.
So that was another reason why, heading into last night's match, there was a sense of possibility for the United States, but After the U.S. started their World Cup run with so much promise and so much hype, Howard was asked, is it possible? Can this team win it all? And obviously, anything's possible. Miracle on ice.
Boston Douglas. Shamanade versus Virginia, the rise of Indiana football. But Howard summed it up, and I'm paraphrasing here, but I remember his quote because I appreciated his objectivity. And he was talking about: of course, I want the Stars and Stripes to win it all, but with the expanded field bumping up this bracket to 48 teams, that meant that anybody who was going to make it to the final would have to put together a series of impeccable results. And for the United States, in fact, I found the quote here in the pile.
Of all of these manila folders in front of me. Quote: Howard. The U.S. will need to play their greatest game they've ever played in three games in a row.
Sorry, four games in a row, as he caught himself remembering that. There are more teams competing for the World Cup.
So it was a major ask. for the United States to wind up In the quarterfinals, or if we're daring to dream, the semifinals, and I'm not even going to talk about a World Cup final. But Because they had the advantage of playing at home, especially in Seattle. And credit. The mental toughness of that experienced Belgian team.
They came out and immediately sucked all the oxygen out of that stadium that was rocking by asserting themselves in the first couple minutes with all of the pressure they put on, peppering Matt Freeze with a bunch of shots. And then Freeze, of course. Effectively handed Belgium a goal in the second half. When I still am wondering what his thought process was when he came that far out and seemingly had no idea what to do once he realized he was 40 yards away from his position in goal. Belgium also, with the motivation, I think it's self evident.
Oh, feeling like They had been victimized by FIFA's ruling. That ultimately got it right. And we know that red card. I think if you're objective and going back to what happened to Balogen against Bosnia, Herzegovina last week, shouldn't have even been a yellow, certainly not a red. But while the decision that was made on Sunday by FIFA got to the correct result, the process was terrible.
And completely lacked any candor and transparency, but it's FIFA we're talking about. Still, When the United States has its best player now suddenly available, think about the emotional boost that must have been felt across that roster to run out onto that field to hear. Our anthem being played. And then within sixty seconds Must have been feeling like, and this is me projecting. And I'm Brian Weber.
I'm a mentalist now. I'm O's. And for Rich, I shouldn't say that because he'll probably be in when Seth Rollins is not available. The stars are out on this show. 844-204-Rich is the phone number: 844-204-7424.
The United States Just watching them, they looked. Disorganized, they looked deflated even before that first goal went in at the nine-minute mark. I don't know why that was the case. And I've been heaping Mauricio Pochettino.
Well, a lot of praise, but some of that comes down to coaching. And if we crush head coaches in every sport, That should be.
Something that includes the beautiful game as well. United States did not look prepared to play.
So if we're going to play the accountability game, Mochatino's got to be involved with that and I think ultimately, especially because we all gravitate towards bright, shiny objects. And on Q, now that Argentina has officially completed the comeback, defeating Egypt, avoiding one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, 3-2. In part because Messi had the goal. We realize in this sport The great ones take on an aura even bigger than the game. That's why so many of them just go by one name.
Like Cher or Elvis. He got messy. You think about The greats like Pele and Meridota. And unfortunately, it's becoming clearer and clearer. That Christian Pulissic is not on that level.
Now, it's unfair to presume he was going to be there. The Kool-Aid was served by us in the sports media. were the ones who came up with the handle Captain America. But so much of that was based on the notion That Christian had a skill set that we had never seen from an American player before. But.
If you're going to carry the flag. Two things have to happen. You have to be available. Unfortunately, injuries, a major factor for Christian once more in this World Cup. And then more important.
You got to show up when the bright lights are on. And you can't go through an entire World Cup competition with merely one assist and no goal.
So to me, as the soccer conversation will drift away, understanding that the World Cup will continue, but the American focus will be diminished. What is going to be the outlook when we get to the next World Cup four years from now? If you care about the particulars, it's a similar setup to this one. Three hosts: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, with the final held in Spain. When we get there in four years, Is Pulisic still considered to be the face of American soccer, or is it pretty clear?
as we saw with the best scoring chance other than Malik Tillman. Showing off his magic once more with a free kick goal. When Balogan had that opportunity about 80 minutes in, late in the second half, and he got denied by a brilliant play by the Belgian goaltender. Is this now Balogan's team? For years to come, I think the answer is pretty clearly yes.
Although The beauty of sports is you always have another opportunity, and Pulissic's still relatively young. He'll have a chance to show. That he deserves all the hype and all the accolades that have been sent in his direction, but. If you get that kind of reward. By being a star, you also got to wear it when you don't show up.
And your nation falls short, and you play a large role in that underachievement because as we sum it up, Many positives for the United States winning a game in the knockout round, but coming in. I had the mindset we, I'll say they now, I'll take a step back, had to make it to at least the quarters to match what they did in 2002 for this event to be deemed a success. And good enough isn't good enough anymore, considering all of the decades and all of the resources that have been invested in American men's soccer. And it's all the more glaring when you compare it to what the American women do routinely winning women's World Cups. I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich.
Your opinions can be expressed on the X platform. That is BW Webber World. Weber with 2Bs coming up in 35 minutes. We wrap it up with authority. Another sparkling edition of the World Wide Weber on the way straight ahead.
Any chance I have to talk college football, I'm going to seize it. And it's legitimate today because Big 12 Media Days underway, the first of back-to-back sessions in Frisco, Texas.
So. Although nobody in that conference wants to mention the name Brendan Soursby, understandably, we will focus on matters on the field. What is Texas tech season going to look Like without the embattled quarterback, as they try to run it back and win the conference title for the second straight year. We'll find out when we're joined by Stuart Mandel of the Athletic. I'm Brian InforRich.
Hope you're enjoying this Tuesday edition of The Rich Eisen Show. 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.
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Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Rich Eisen here for Gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated. But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much.
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Still plenty of time for you to get involved on social media. Hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber. Weber with two B's in 30 minutes. We wrap up the program with emphasis, logging out to the World Wide Webber just to make sure I did not miss anything. And.
If you've endured my act in the past, you know how much I love college football. I was not going to miss the opportunity to use the start of Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, to jump right in and get you fully lined up for the start of the season. And for that, always a pleasure to talk college football with Stuart Mandel, editor-in-chief of the Athletics College Football Coverage. Stuart, how are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm doing well. I'm following you on the X platform. Do you officially have World Cup fever? I do, though it's going to be a challenge to maintain it with the U.S. out, I'm not going to lie, but it's been a very fun tournament.
And for those who don't follow you, and they should, it's at SI Mandel. Can you explain what you posted and what you meant when you wrote, Argentina is twenty twenty five, Indiana won't lose?
Okay. I'm always looking for college football comparisons because that's the sport I understand the most. And I'm still a soccer novice. But if you just saw what just happened. Like, that's the soccer equivalent, I think, of the Indiana.
two minute drive against Penn State last year. to pull out that game. And when they did pull out that game, To me, that was the sign that, oh, this team might be capable of greatness. And they were, right, for 16-0 season. Not quite the perfect example because Argentina has a much better history than Indiana football.
But yeah, like similar vibes. Love the comp, and that gets us to the college football conversation. I know you've been tracking what's been going on in Frisco, Texas, as we prepare to talk about things that matter on the field. And I know a lot of casual fans find it tedious when guys like me keep going back to the Brenton Saresby story, but there's no way of denying how notable it is. Store, what did you make of Big 12 Commissioner Brent Yormack today ducking questions about that entire situation?
I understand the reasoning. If you want this event to be more looking forward to the season, I was actually a little surprised though, because it would have been a great chance for him to Take a victory lap. Because that was definitely the most um trying moment of his tenure as Big 12 Commissioner. And they aced it. You know, everybody thought at that, you know, after they.
Um After Brendan Sourceby won his injunction, The thought was, well, there's nothing really anybody can do. Um Everybody in that conference, all fifteen of their schools were pressuring. the conference. To do something because it was such an unfathomable idea. that he would be allowed to play after betting on his own team.
And They got a little help. Frankly, in the form of that letter, the Texas Attorney General sent threatening To sue them if they, you know, at that point they hadn't taken any action against Texas recorders.
Sorry, and he was already threatening a lawsuit. And they used it against him and made an argument in a lawsuit that caused the Swordsby and Texas tech camp to stand down. Thank you for the context because a lot of people, I think, tuned out with all the legalese and would there be another injunction? And that gets us to what people want to talk about: the games themselves. I'm Brian Weber, sitting in for Rich Eisen as we get you set for college football.
It's back with the start of Big 12 Media Days, chatting with Stuart Mandel of the Athletics.
So, if we look at the top of the conference, last year Texas Tech won its first Big 12 championship in school history. Stuart, how do you see Joey McGuire's team on the field as they now turn to Will Howard, a quarterback, coming back from his torn ACL? Yeah, Will Hammond. The Richard Freshman. Will Hammond, I beg your pardon.
Yeah. Right. Because of Trade of Candle and all that money Taxis Tech is now in a position to reload every year. But for all the talk about quarterback, Really, the whole ethos of that Big 12 championship team last year was that defensive line. That they spent a lot of money to bring guys in, and it paid off.
And all four of those guys on their starting D line last year got drafted.
So to me, that's a hard thing. I know they went out and they got more guys. They got a really good pass rusher from uh from San Diego State, but that's hard to replicate regardless of the controversy around quarterbacks.
So they'll be in the mix, no question, they'll be in the mix again. I think BYU is going to be really good. And I think the thing about Big twelve is There's a number of teams in that conference that, like Arizona State two years ago, that can rise up at any moment.
So I think it'll be a very fun, competitive race. I don't just assume Texas Tech will dominate the conference again.
Well, we know the Big Twelve is wide open offensively, and that translates into so many competitive games on the field. Stewart, do you think it also means this could be the year the Conference finally gets multiple bids to the college football playoff? Yeah, it's tough, but one Because clearly the committee basically at this point Um considers Uh 11 I'm sorry. 12 and 1 in the Big 12 to be 11 and 2 in the SEC, basically. I think we have to do that.
I think that the way to do it, and what the Big Twelve has frankly lacked the last couple of years. And you need that big non-conference victory. that sends a statement. They lends them credibility. And Texas Tech doesn't really have a game like that on its schedule, but BYU does when USC and Notre Dame canceled their series.
Notre Dame already had its replacement lined up, a game at BYU this year. Notre Dame is on the very short list of national title contenders next year. If BYU wins that and then they're one of those two teams in the mix, like you talked about, maybe they win that game but don't win the Cowherd Championship, that's your recipe to get two teams in. Talking college football with Stuart Mandel of the Athletic. You hit on the SEC, and I got the point you're making from the perspective of the selection committee.
As you know, the Big Ten has won three straight national championships, unseating the mighty SEC as the superpower in the sport. Stuart, do you see that trend continuing this season? Which conference do you think is going to be more top-heavy? I think that's a big ten is it doesn't get much more top heavy than what the Big Ten is right now. They have earned their status.
as the best conference. When I look at the early national title contenders for this year, I would take Indiana, Oregon or Ohio State, frankly, over anybody in the SEC. Wow. But the SEC, I think, is stronger and deeper top to bottom. And as we know, the preseason poll never plays out in real life.
And of those three teams I mentioned, who all look like they'll be very good. Probably somebody will disappoint And in the SEC, whether it's Georgia, whether it's Texas, whether it's somebody else, Might turn out to be absolutely dominant. I think both those teams are very good and very talented, but flawed. could be wrong. Maybe then one of them is is turns out to be Um you know, the Indiana of this year.
And the Indian story, I said before you joined us, is one of the greatest sports turnarounds. In my lifetime, and I'm in my mid-50s, the fact that Indiana went from statistically the worst program in major college football to now a real and consistent winner is just mind-boggling.
Well, as we go to the SEC, there's always the big personalities to address.
So, what are your expectations for Lane Kiff in year one at LSU? The expectations are very high. I don't know whether they'll live up to them or not. But when you go out and assemble basically a portal all-star team, Like in this in the portal era, nobody has has racked up that much high end talent Starting with the quarterback, Sam Levitt. Um beaten the offensive lineman from collar.
Like there are several guys in that class that we're the best or the highest ranked player at their position.
So the expectation is You should be At least a CSP contender, if not a Final Four national title contender in year one. Mm-hmm. A lofty goal because frankly, most of the time we've seen a coach come in and totally flip a roster. It's still been bumpy the year one. Signeti, the obvious exception.
But it's a lot of change at once when you bring in entirely new coaching staff, entirely new players. and expect everybody to just gel over the course of one off season. But I don't think They can make those excuses for you. And you have that kind of roster when there's reports that it's a $40 million roster that we've gone from. Ohio State twenty million two years ago to now we're hearing forty million.
You're expected to be very good. Stuart Mandel is our guest. It's the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio. He is the editor-in-chief of the athletics college football coverage. Let's dig deeper in the SEC.
And if we're talking about expectations and hype, there was no individual player with more hype, as you know, last year heading into the season than Arch Manning. And he bounced back after that slow start. And I think a lot of that also was just managing expectations after the Ohio State game. Counted for 36 total touchdowns last year.
So, Stewart, as you look at his. Limited body of work, what's your outlook for Arch this year?
Well, I think we just have to. I think he could be a very good quarterback this year. He really showed it at the end of last season, especially in the Texas AM game. I think the mistake going into last year Was that people didn't just expect him to be good, they expected him to be number one pick good, even though he'd barely played before.
Now he has a full year under his belt. There's no reason why he can't be at least an all-conference kind of quarterback. But I wouldn't expect him necessarily to Be, I keep using these Indiana comparisons. Fernando Mendoza from last year. That's that's That's a tall ask for anybody, you know, and I think people need to stop getting so hung up on the last name.
and more compare him to other quarterbacks with that profile over the years, of the five-star guy. Hello. finally gets his shot and frankly, it was bumpy for about two thirds of the season.
So As long as he makes some pretty good progress this year and is better than he was last frankly, he has to be really good right from the start.
So they're going to play Ohio State again in week two. And I would consider that a success. And you and I, over the years, have spent a lot of time focusing on two topics: realignment, which thankfully we can leave alone, I hope, for now. and the expansion of the college football playoff. Stuart, how long do you think we're going to stick with the current bracket of twelve?
And when we get to expansion, what is the number you think that ultimately is going to be settled on? The Big Ten and FCC. It's in a stalemate right now. The Big Ten is very, very adamant about going to 24. They're not.
settling for anything less. And the SEC as of now is very uncomfortable with that and is sticking with its preference for sixteen. Everybody wants it to expand.
So I don't know that it's going to stay at twelve much longer. It's basically just who wins out in that conversation. It's going to be, I think. Just like last year. They're going to go all the way to the deadline on December 1st before they settle on anything, and they still might not settle on anything.
But I don't think it's healthy for the sport for this. continue. I also think even though the ACC, Big twelve and Notre Dame have all come out in favor of twenty four, There's still a lot of people in high positions in this sport that think that would be a big mistake. I think 85% of the public thinks that would be a big mistake, that it would ruin the regular season. as we've known it.
And I'm frankly personally hoping that, that sentiment wins out. And I agree with you totally. Stuart, always a pleasure. I greatly appreciate your availability, and thanks for sharing your insights once more on The Rich Isen Show. All right, thank you.
Stuart Mandel, check out his great work for the athletic. Doing Yeoman's work to connect the beautiful game to college football with the Argentina-Indiana Cop.
Now, the small difference would be if you're talking about brand equity, who's got a bigger name in international soccer than Argentina, but I get the point Stuart was making: it's the air of inevitability because it felt like Argentina was dead. And then we go Undertaker. They rise quickly. I didn't see Paul Bearer on the pitch. He would stand out.
He's not a small individual. The beauty of college football today is, and I understand a lot of people. Have many issues with how NIL is being used and misused. It feels like As the NFL has brought parody to ad sport in a way that we all Love and embrace.
Now the That we have more competitive balance than ever in college football. There's massive pushback, and I get it. Because the mechanism To get us to All of now the unlikely results has been Unseemly. It's a world with no rules in college football. And judges getting involved, and you essentially have unrestricted free agency with the transfer portal.
And No salary cap. As much as these schools have guidelines for what they can spend in NIL, it is wide open. But It's not our job to fix the sport. I'm just looking for a good watch on Saturdays and If you love college football, the beauty of it is quantity is quality. I'm here in Southern California.
Turn on the T V at 9 a.m. local time, and you ride that all the way now into whatever the Pac-12 is comprised of. deep into the night. And now you're seeing Different teams.
Now, we can argue. Is the sport better? With having more turnover at the top. And look, I am not overlooking Ohio State. Is still good.
And that's why I had Will Howard on the mind. Although I'm going to talk Steelers as well on Friday, but I appreciate Stewart fact-checking me. I was talking about Will Hammond at Texas Tech. The sport still has a blue blood connection to casual fans, but The SEC is in total control anymore, and that is a good development. It's always, I think, appealing.
To walk into a tournament like the college football playoff and wonder, okay. How many upsets will we see? And let's skip. The group of five nonsense. That was an aberration last year.
It'll never happen again. But the fact that Miami, quote unquote, is back and Indiana. has emerged unbelievably as a dominant player Is another reflection of just the huge turnaround we've seen in college football.
Now, Is the sport gonna Run the risk of damaging even further the integrity of its regular season, which for years meant more in college football than any other sport. And I'm not saying let's go back to ties. I'm not saying let's go back to split national champions determined by the AP and the UPI, which doesn't exist anymore. But I am saying the regular season has to matter. And 12 has worked out as a good number.
Because there's still an argument to be made as we Went through for months last season, Miami versus Notre Dame for that final spot. But when you get to 16, and I think it's going to 24, just as we saw the expansion of the NCA tournament that nobody wanted, why? More money. When we inevitably get to 24 teams, And I do. Have strong feelings as is coming through, probably more than I would like, having done college football play-by-play and radio shows for years.
When we get to 24 teams, I'm not going to care who the twenty-fifth team in America is. Don't tell me you got screwed or jobbed by the committee if we have a bracket of twenty-four teams, but I know I'm a lonely man sitting in a studio by myself barking for no reason. because it's going there because there's too much money to be made, and we'll see if there's any pushback from the fans. Attendance has flattened in college football.
Now some of that, I think, comes down to the start times changing week by week because of us in the media business. But The regular season has to matter. The games being played have to have significance. And when you expand that playoff, I don't know the trade-off is going to be worth it. I'm Brian Weber.
Pack on the soapbox, but at least hopefully I know what I'm talking about with college football. Unlike my soccer credentials, that I have to dust off one more time because I have a feeling we'll be heading back to the pitch coming up. As we work our way towards the top of the hour with one more attempt to make sure I didn't miss anything as we log on to the World Wide Web, or that is coming up. I'm Brian Infra Rich. We roll on on The Rich Eisen Show.
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Weber, back with you here on the Rich Eisen Show. We are winding down. That means we're warming up for tomorrow. My good friend, Dan Schwartzmann will be guest hosting for Rich, and then I'm back with you on Friday to wrap up the week. Straight ahead, we're going to surf the World Wide Weber first.
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It's time to log on to... WWE, the World Wide Weber. And I'm feeling like a good corporate partner because the last few shows I've been in the chair, I have said, let's wrap up the program with gusto as we bring in my pal, the super producer of this program, James Steele. James, how are you? I'm great.
How are you? I am living the dream. Where do you want to start? Let's start where we kind of began today with the World Cup. The US lost four to one to Belgium, as we've been talking about all day today.
What does that mean? For American soccer moving forward.
So, you're saying you want more soccer analysis. I have not gone in-depth and comprehensive enough. with my thoughts on the pitch, okay. Since I have focused in granular detail about all the factors that led to that one-sided win by the better team last night, what we saw was not a mirage. Belgium is flat out the superior soccer-playing nation.
That is not breaking news. The question moving forward, and now we have four years to figure out a more effective combination of. Playing and strategy than what we saw last night is. Who is going to become the new face of American soccer? And I'm trying not to use Christian Pulisik as a human piñata.
And I am mindful, and I keep repeating it because it bears that emphasis. That he's been dealing with injuries throughout his career, and unfortunately, it slowed him down last night. But somebody has to be. The catalyst who's reliable in big games, especially when the whole world is watching. I think that player clearly now is Folarin Baligan.
And then, over the course of the next few years, how does the roster get rounded out so they don't come up small in a big spot last night? Because what was most disappointing to me, as much as I pretend to be Captain Soccer, is the mental errors. Just feeling like they weren't ready for the moment. And after all these years and the commitment to this sport, United States should be better when the whole world is watching. What's next?
Let's go to basketball. According to reports, Tim Hardaway Sr., who had originally said to his son Tim Hardaway Jr., you cannot wear my Number 10 for the heat when you sign there. He changed his mind. He's now gonna let him wear it if he wants to.
So, is Tim Sr. making the right decision here? Finally, and I just wonder what took him so long. It was bizarre to me that the old man would say to his kid effectively. And this was part of the reasoning that had been reported.
No, Junior. You need to forge your own path. You need to carve out your own identity.
Okay, Pops, Tim Sr., if that's the case. Why did you name him Tim Hardaway Jr.? Isn't it egotistical enough for an old man? And James, I know we should have discussed this before we started the show. At the end of this, you're going to tell me you're James Steele Jr., and I'm going to feel like a giant jerk.
But in general, It strikes me as a bit of a narcissist play to feel like, you know what? Not only are my genes being carried on by my kid, that kid's got to be a junior.
So who wants to be Frank Sinatra Jr.? Who wants to be Bronnie James, LeBron James Jr.?
So. I think that Tim got to the right conclusion. I'm surprised it took him that long to get there. And in general, and maybe this is hitting too close to home, I was supposed to be a Trey. I was supposed to be William Weber III.
And let's just say my mother and my grandfather didn't see eye to eye, and she nicks that, and that's why I am B Web, not. W Web, whatever. W dub. I am dumb-dumb. I don't even know what I would be.
I'd be Will Webb if my. Grandfather had his way, and now I need a therapist. James, tell me you're not a junior. I should have asked you before the show. No, no, no, no, no juniors in the staff.
Thank you, thank God. But Trey Weber would be even more annoying. if possible than I typically am. What is next? Let's go to the entertainment.
Rich talks a lot about that on the show. Reports are that Christian Bale is set to join Leo DiCaprio, starring in Heat 2, 31 years after the original film came out. What's the greatest sequel in film history? Clock management skills. We could do this for hours.
Okay. Why don't I start with Options that are not the best sequels. And Top ahead, I'm thinking comedies, I'm thinking Caddyshack 2. Much as I love Jackie Mason and Fletch Lives. Balanced by Ghostbuster 2.
Holds up. But if I gotta go one sequel and one sequel only. You're probably thinking, all right, middle-aged from the suburbs, Weber, you're going to go Godfather 2, and remind me: this is the business we have chosen. I don't want to be that much of a cliche. I'm going to select Empire Strikes Back, not only as the best sequel, but the best Star Wars film of them all.
What do you think about that? Uh that's a good pick. I'm a big Ghostbusters 2 fan, too. Oh, beautiful. And Bobby Brown, of course, on the soundtrack.
I have Vigo the Carpathian up in my basement. It's a good thing we don't rehearse this show, and I learned this on the fly. Hey, wait a minute. Bobby Brown had a lyric about Vigo, right? Found out about Vigo.
I can't say the words now because we'll get sued by ASCAP. We have time for one more. One more. Yep. 30 years ago today, Hulk Hogan came down the.
Down the ramp at Fashion the Beach 1996 and turned heel, one of the biggest heel turns of all time. Is it the biggest one? What are the biggest heel turns of all time, bro? Brother, now, because you're a power broker at ESPN Radio, when are we getting a wrestling podcast? I think I have proven that if I could handle the burden of doing the Rich Eisen show as a solo performer, maybe I could sit next to you and drop arcane references from the late 1970s.
All right, you're talking heel.
Well, how about this one for perspective? Most people don't know that Hulk Hogan was a heel originally in the old. WWWF, run by Vince McMahon Sr., managed by Flassie Freddie Flassie, but. The audience now is completely turning on me because I keep going back decades and decades. If I'm thinking heel turn, I got two.
I got Andre, of course. And even though I knew wrestling was fake, that was real to me, I'll give you Sergeant Slaughter. He's Captain America. Forget about Christian Pulisic. When he flipped and became an Iraqi sympathizer leading up to WrestleMania 7 here in Southern California, it broke my heart.
I'll go Godfather 2. Predo, you broke my heart. That's the greatest heel turn of them all. Great job, James. I appreciate your help as always.
You got uh Sean Michaels put more in Janeti through the barbershop window. I think that might be the best one. Anytime we get a Brutus the Barber beefcake reference, it's a better show. And it was an excellent show today, in my opinion. In part because of the guests.
Want to thank all three of them: Danny Higginbottom, talking soccer from Fox Sports. NBA Conversation with Dan Devont of Yahoo Sports. And we just covered college football with Stuart Mandel of the Athletic. Thanks to James Steele, Mikey C. Dan Schwartzmann in tomorrow.
Enjoy his insights. And I'll talk to you on Friday right here on The Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. MLB.tv on ESPN is your home for every out-of-market game, live or on demand.
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Mm.
