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Early morning on a Manhattan sidewalk, a shooting caught on surveillance video. It was an assassination style killing, and everybody saw it. A new podcast series from ABC Audio in 2020 goes inside this captivating case. I'm ABC News legal analyst Brian Buckmeyer. Listen to burden of proof Luigi Mangione, wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, hello, everyone. Happy Thursday. We're getting ready to bring you straight into the weekend with a fresh edition. Oh, you know what football? America's Alexis Nunez back here with Hercules Gomez. And Shaka his sub after his double shift. He was just on FC, but plenty to talk about on today's show. We're going to have part two of what was an exclusive interview with Chris Richards. You don't want to miss it. Plus the league's cup final is set. But we're going to look back at what was quite an eventful and chaotic semi-final. How did you find so funny? The lower third said America blamed the refs. Comment really? I think so. Well, you show Pedro Saro that you're the winner right there. All right. Well, like I said, it was an event full league's cup semi-final, but an even more eventful summer transfer window, especially for Flow Balagun because the transfer window is shut, but we're still talking about what happened on Deadlines. They are what didn't happen with him. Mainly Flow Balagun's failed move from Monaco to Everton. Now, word is that Everton had some concerns after his medical. And then we also heard that he was the one who ultimately made the decision not to go to Everton. Here's what Monaco CEO Thiago Escuro said about the situation. During the day, we had a clear agreement for Balagun to go to Everton. Balagun flew yesterday morning to go for medicals and sign in contract. Our plan worked very, very well in this moment in terms of generation of revenue, squad plan, player transfer. Around 7 pm, we were contacted by Everton raising questions on the medicals of Balagun, which for our medical staff, which for the personal medical staff of the player, there was totally no sense. The explanations were not enough to justify or to bring concerns of the future of the player, which there isn't. This discussion started between medical departments from here and there. It took forever to around 2-3 hours to go deep on the assessment, check with other doctors. This is a normal situation when the doctor of the club raises concerns. It's quite normal that clubs will look for other specialists sharing the images and discuss the case. Around 10 o'clock in our time here, maybe a bit earlier. Everton realizes that okay, there's no problem. We are ready to do. Let's sign the contract. Premier League has a mechanism which you can request one extra hour to finish the paperwork. This was done five minutes to close the transfer window there, for us to finish all the paperwork between Monaco and Everton Balagun. I signed the contract, Everton signed the contract. At the last moment, the player decided not to sign. And basically, the allegation of Balagun is that I'm not feeling well by the way the club treated me. I'm not feeling well by the way the medical department of Everton brought doubts about my future or my healthy. I have nothing, so I'm not comfortable to sign a long contract here. And that's the way we finish our transfer window. All right, well, it's quite the novella indeed. Let's bring in Jeff Carlisle for more on this one. Jeff, of course, there we're hearing that Everton had some concerns around his medical, but ultimately the reports, the strong reports are suggesting that it was Balagun, who just really wasn't that interested in this move. What really happened? Well, I mean, the player has not said anything as of yet, so we're still waiting to hear from him, but there's a lot of indirect evidence. And obviously some secondary evidence from Thiago Scuro from Monaco that Balagun's heart just did not seem to be in this. I mean, he was supposed to arrive Tuesday morning. He did not get there to finish farm until 130. Obviously, the medical text takes place. The questions arise. And at the last second, Balagun just decides to walk away. And I think he felt like the questions that came up from the medical just didn't leave him with a good feeling. And so it kind of leaves you to wonder how much his heart was in it to begin with. But there's another window in five months. And I think his thinking is that if this isn't going to happen now, then it can happen at a later date. But obviously he did not feel like he could move forward with Everton. And it's a shame for a lot of people. It's a shame for the clubs. It's a shame for Balagun. It's a shame for other players who were impacted by this decision. So I think what you've got now is a situation where Everton is not happy at all with what Balagun did. They thought they had a deal. And we'll just have to wait and see how everything transpires. And Balagun, I think, is going to have a little bit of a hard time getting back into the Monaco lineup. I mean, Paris Bruner has scored four goals in four games so far. So it's not just going to be like he's going to walk back into the lineup. And you still got Ansoon Fati. You still got Mika Barrett. You know, those are guys who he was competing with for playing time last season. So it all ended up being a bit of a mess. And really ended up being a huge disappointment for all the parties involved. Yeah, there was a bit of a domino effect after this transfer failed. We're going to get to that in a bit. But, Herc, do you almost applaud Balagun for being brave to make the decision that he felt was right for him or is this going to somehow backfire on him? No. Anything's possible in terms of backfiring. You have no control over those type of things. But I applaud following Balagun for doing what he felt was necessary. Listen, unserious clubs. This is what's going on. Monaco has a situation where they need to sell a player. They think they've got it in the bag with Everton. They wait until the 11th hour to finally do it. He gets there and then Everton puts cast in the doubt his health. And when you put in the doubt the player's health, and like it's a tomato can at a grocery store with a dent, and you can get it on a bargain. They change the term sheets. And while they're changing the term sheets, they think Monaco thinks everything's getting cold feet. So they try selling a player in camera to Chelsea, because Chelsea's already offloaded Enzo. Martina, excuse me, Fernandez, to Manchester City. So we need this money. And while this is going on, he's probably reading reports that Everton are interested in Zersky on a loan. And he's like, what's going on here? All this circus is going on around me. What's going on? This is very unserious. This club's already treating me like I'm damaged goods. I know what I'm worth. I had a good season last year. 19 goals, scored some goals in the World Cup. Jeff was talking about how he'd have to compete with certain players. When he came into Monaco, he was competing with Ben Yetter, who was a team captain. So he's used to this. So he's probably betting on himself. I was like, I do not feel good about this situation coming in. From the way he was handled, to the way they brought up, my injury or health status, and doubts of me in the future, this just doesn't feel right. And if it doesn't feel right as a footballer, you pull out. You bet on yourself, and that's what he's doing. So I applaud him for having the courage, because it takes a lot of courage, knowing that you're going to be in the limelight yet again, for maybe the wrong reasons, as he was in this summer's World Cup, when the intervention from the US government and Johnny Fantino of not rescinding the red card, but allowing him to play happened. He was in that limelight in the news for the wrong reasons. He knows that for a lot of people, this will be back to the news for the wrong reasons. I applaud the courage in sticking to his guns and saying, this doesn't feel right for me, I'm not going to jeopardize my future. Check, of course, Everton's seeming, as Herk said, to play some bargaining tactics as, of course, they're well within their rights to do. Ultimately, we will see if this does backfire on them. But then, overall, would Everton have been the right move for flow right now? I don't know. It's difficult to tell. Of course, Monaco, I play in Europe, conference league. So there's that. Listen, Monaco, I'm not going to win legal, but Everton, I'm not going to win Premier League either. So you kind of weigh it up as to the platform that you're afforded, Liga, Europe, conference league, up against, probably mid-table, Premier League side, as to which is the better? And ultimately, like, so many of these decisions, it comes down to money. And if you don't feel the money or the bump in salary is enough to justify that move, if you prefer to, again, back yourself to get a better move in four months' time, or ten months' time, whatever it may be, well, that's Flo Balagans' absolute right. Players will back themselves 99 times out of 100, and that's all he's done here. Jeff, you kind of hinted the fact that, you know, maybe this deal could still go ahead, whether it's in January or not. It seems like Monaco are still very much in the market to offload Balagans wherever it is. But do you feel at least when it comes to Everton that maybe a bridge has been burned? Yeah, I think so. Listen, they thought they had a deal. And, you know, it was going to fill just a massive hole in their lineup. You know, I think Tirto Berry is the only out and out central striker that they have on their roster. And so this was going to just fill a huge need for them. And I think for Balagans to walk away, and, you know, at the very last minute, you know, I think that leaves a bad taste in the club's mouth. It leaves a bad taste in David Mois' mouth. And so, you know, I think, you know, when it comes to trying to find a striker come January, I think they're going to look elsewhere. I think they're going to feel a little bit burned by the whole process. And so, you know, we'll have to wait and see. I mean, they say time heals all wounds. We'll see if that's the case here. But I've got to believe that Everton really just kind of want to watch their hands of this situation and move on and try to find somebody else. Okay, can I just say, though? I've got no sympathy for Everton here. No, absolutely not. I've got none at all. You know your short and strikers. You know there is that, that, that, that, that Jeff references there. You know Monaco need to sell. So, therefore, you wait until the absolute last minute in trying to, to get a better price. Now, okay, on the one hand, you want to say it's business, but as, as desperate as Monaco were to sell, you equally were in needing a striker to, to, to fill that void. Now, there is, I mentioned this on an FCA couple days ago. I, I also read one report and maybe we have to wait for, for, for Flor Balaghan to come out and, and, and, and speak on this. It's saying that Everton kind of moved the, the, the, the, the deal sheeted at the thing is how, how, how, how, how, how it puts it. To him she, for, for not just the club, the club transfer, but also in terms of how Balaghan's wages were to be structured. Now, if you, if Balaghan agrees, right? And let's, let's just make the, the numbers easy. I have no idea what, what the numbers were. But if, if Balaghan agrees with Everton earlier in the day that I'm on a hundred grand a week. And then this injury issue pops up. And Everton says, well, okay. We won't do the hundred grand a week guaranteed. We'll give you 75 guaranteed and 25 performance based. I'm, I'm pulling out. Yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm entire, the, Balaghan has, has got nothing to defend here. Yeah. If, if that's the case. And again, he hasn't spoken, I've read it in one report. So we'll see exactly what, what comes out at the, at the end of this, and in a couple of weeks time. But if that is the case, then this is entirely Everton's doing. Jeff, is there any chance that Balaghan could still be in the market for a move elsewhere, maybe even in this transfer window? We know, of course, there's still a few days left for Saudi Arabia, Turkey as well as the Lopen, especially with the fact that Monaco seemed pretty much set on offloading him. I mean, I think at this stage, that's highly unlikely. You know, obviously, you know, Turkey's got a couple teams in the Champions League league phase. I think Galatasra and Fenerbahce, you know, hypothetically he could go there. But, you know, if you had a chance to go to the Premier League and you turned it down, I don't see how, you know, Turkey is, is any more appealing than, than what that, you know, what the situation that Premier League was. I mean, I can't see him going to Saudi Arabia either. Obviously, he would make a lot of money there. But, you know, I don't think it's, I mean, in terms of attention, in terms of endorsements, you know, back in the United States. I mean, I think that was the other appeal for Balaghan of moving to the Premier League. I mean, you know, we all know that the Premier League is king in the United States in terms of viewership. And so, just the notoriety that Balaghan would have gained in endorsement contracts and the like, you know, that was also what he was walking away from. So, I can't see him turning that down and then going to somewhere like, like Turkey or Saudi Arabia. I mean, no disrespect to those leagues at all. But, you know, I think Balaghan is taking a wait and see approach to see what other clubs, maybe higher profile clubs than Everton will come in for him come January. Yeah, well, like we said, this was not the only deal that happened to fall through because Balaghan's failed transfer to Everton had another knock-on effect on yet another conca-caf star in Mexico's Eric Lira who was gearing up to move to Monaco from Cruza Soule. But that, of course, fell through now. Let's hear once again from Monaco CEO. On this, we were also very sad yesterday by the situation with Eric Lira, by our relation with Cruza Soule, which I want to really thank them and appreciate the way they deal everything with us. The deal was ready. The player was ready to travel. Everything was absolutely pressing on button, but was mandatory on the agreement that Balaghan goes to open the foreign spot. And because of that, we were not able to bring Eric Lira, which was our desire. I really hope that he find a good and strong step in a top level in Europe. He deserves amazing person, all the interactions we had. And this was part of the sad events that we had the yesterday to face. Having to call the player and say, I'm sorry, we couldn't make it. As a human, he's a very hard part of the job on the transfer window. He, unfortunately, indeed for the Mexican because even Cruza Soule, Herc said that he was speaking so much and excited about this next chapter being in Europe at 26 years old. He seems like it was coming at the right time. It would have been a great move for a player who had a spectacular tournament albeit at his level, concaf level, and got the notoriety of a team like Monaco. It would have been the move he dreamed of. The European move that most would dream of. You see the transfer window for the Mexican national team and there's been one player. That's allowed me to go and sell it. And that was to great football. I mean, Biancos, this is a player going to a team that's competed in Champions League. To a team that is known for exporting to bigger and better. So from that standpoint, he's missing out. He's 26 years old. These opportunities do not grow on trees. But if anything, this highlights the abysmal transfer window for the Mexican national team and Mexican football. The one player, the one player, I would have bet the house on to make the move. The one player who I thought had the physical attributes, the ability to play at a bigger level, a higher level, couldn't get done. And not out of his own doing. Yeah. You could say, well, it's not his fault that Fallen Balagin and Everton and Chelsea and Monaco had this triangle and this weird circus going on. No, it's not his fault. But if a team wants you bad enough, it's no, hey, you're here as long as we get rid of this guy. No, a team makes it happen. And that's the issue here is such a good player. Like Eddie Glita, highlights the abysmal transfer window for the Mexican national team. And it's not nothing new. This is the one player I would have bet, and it didn't happen. See if it's one thing we've learned today is that love triangles. Never a good thing, right? Never a good thing. But sticking with Eric Glita, same thing with Balagin. Of course, you're looking for the next big step. Anywhere in Europe you would feel would be good coming from this side of the world. But would you have liked him at Monaco? Eric Glia. Yeah. Absolutely. Listen, Zachariah Denny Zachariah is the captain of Monaco. He plays in his position. He's 29 years old. So unless something happens there or you're playing in double pivot alongside him, you're probably riding the bench. But there'll be plenty of gains for you, whether it's European competition or the French Cup for you to prove your worth. And from there, maybe they sell Denny Zachariah. Maybe something happens, but this would have been a great setup. And like I said, the attributes from Eddie Glita are there. He's diminutive, but he doesn't play that way. He's got a physical presence to him. He's got bite. He's good on the ball. He plays multiple positions, whether at the six or whether as a center back in any one of the three center back positions that you can play in a line of five or line at three, if you will. He's got the attributes to play at that level. So I would have enjoyed seeing him compete. He's one of the players that I think has something distinct, something different in his bag than most of the Mexican players that I've seen of this generation. So it would have been fun to see him compete. I think he could have. So to failed moves then to European teams, let's find out though who the guys think lost more after what happened. Balagun or Eric Lira, let me start with you, Jeff. Oh, I think Lira lost much more. You know, Balagun is an established player in one of Europe's top five leagues. I mean, he's done it with multiple teams. He did it with Reams first. He takes a step up within the French League to to Monaco and establishes himself not only in the league, but also in the Champions League. So he's very much a known commodity. And, you know, I think it's not like this was a one off once in a lifetime shot. I mean, I think Florian Balagun is going to get another chance to make a move probably as soon as January. For Eric Lira, you just don't know. You don't know when this chance is going to come again. Unlike Balagun, he's not an established name in Europe. I mean, obviously he had an excellent World Cup. You know, so I mean, obviously he gets some attention in that way, but just in terms of proving himself within the European sphere, you know, that's still not yet happened. And so, you know, these opportunities, I think for a player like that, don't come around as often as they do for someone like Balagun. So I think for Lira, you know, it's a much bigger loss. And you only hope for his sake than, you know, that he's able to make a move at some point, either in January or maybe he waits another year, you know, and tries again next summer. Jack, is it Eric Lira for YouTube? Yeah, it is. I, you know, added to everything that Jeff just said. Eric Lira is not 26 years old. Hasn't broken into to European football just yet. And you just wonder how quickly that window closes on somebody taking that first chance. You get into to European football, whatever level that may be. Now you've got people paying a whole lot closer attention. But the longer that that takes for you to make that step, the less options there are for you in continuing to take steps up. A lot of things can change in six months. It's not very easy to make the move during the January transfer window. It's going to make it that much more difficult for Eric Lira, who knows if Monaco will have moved on or still keen on him. The most difficult thing for Mexican player is to make that jump. It's to leave because they're so well paid because it does not need to sell. They'd rather keep their captain. So let's see if that still goes down that right and you can route and he can make that jump. That said, um, following Balagan would have more to lose. If Monaco desperately needs to get those wages off the book for the financial fair play. If they desperately need to make that sell and he ends up in a turkey and he ends up in a in a Saudi pro league. And then you're saying to yourself, that's not where he needs to be. If you're a U.S. Miss National Team fan, you're kicking yourself at what happened with Everton? What happened with Monaco? What happened between Chelsea? Because this isn't the route that was for Faller and Balagan. That would drastically change what many would feel is the ceiling for a Faller and Balagan. And we've seen it with big players. We've seen it with big players. These leagues have the money to attract these players. Rafael, just made it one to Turkey. He's going to make 12 million a year. Oseman is there. We've seen the type of players they can attract the Saudi pro league. They've got unlimited funds. We can see that they can attract these players. They can attract the teams. So my worry for Faller and Balagan is that it's not a wait and see situation. It's that we got to get you off the book situation. Once again, love triangles. Don't do it, guys. Don't do it. All right, well, here's a reminder that our other show ESPNFC is on. Seven days a week, a new episode dropped today. Shackle was on it. Shackle, you guys were talking Liverpool's transfer strategy. Yeah, it really had a lot to say about the summer and plans ahead. And we discussed it all. Mysteries unravel and stunning truths are revealed when 2020 investigates. Follow the clues, the evidence, the breaking new details. ABC's 2020 news. True murder mystery. Shackle. If you follow True Crime in 2020, then you've got to listen to this. Subscribe now to 2020 True Crime Plus. Add free, exclusive True Crime content. Search 2020 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts and start your free trial. Terms apply. You're going to fail to transfer. This is how some of the others fared this summer. Of course, some had some pretty good movements. Some stayed right where they were, for example, Ricardo Peppy. He was heavily linked with the likes of Fulham. That, of course, did not happen. So he's staying there. Christian Polisik. Still staying. Brendan Aronson extended his contract at Leeds. So plenty to talk about now. But we want to know, did the US men's national team players have a good transfer window? Jeff, let me start with you. How would you rate it? I'd rate it as something of a disappointment. I'll grant you that there were quite a few deals. I mean, into double digits. Stoke and Middlesbrough seemed to have a real affinity for American players. Middlesbrough acquired three US players. Stoke got two. But I think when you're looking at some of the bigger names, they were expected to move. And the fact that they didn't, I think, is why for me, it kind of falls into the disappointment category. I mean, obviously, we all know about Baligan. That was a huge disappointment. But you expected, guys, you know, there was a little bit of chatter about Christian Polisik. That didn't materialize. Same for Tyler Adams. You know, Joe Scally was expected to move. He didn't. So again, I think it's a situation where expectations were a little bit higher, at least for me. And when those deals didn't materialize, you know, that's why I would say it was a disappointment. I will say one deal that kind of does catch the eye is that of Georena. He goes to Strathborg. You know, he looked quite good. I thought over the weekend against RC Lawns. You know, they were able to win. He started the match. It went about 75 minutes. But we've been down this road before with Georena. You know, I think back to right before the winter break and the Bundesliga last season. He started four games in a row. Everyone thought, okay, he's back. And then when they returned, he got injured again. He couldn't win his spot back on the lineup and really struggled for playing time thereafter. So you hope that his body will allow him to really get a run of games with Strathborg. And then after a few months, if that happens, then we can start to assess, okay, where is his game at? Can he establish himself in a better team and maybe a better league and take it from there? So that's one to keep an eye on. But I think overall, I was a little disappointed without things turned up for the US players. How do you feel about disappointment? Yeah, I think it's mediocre at best. I will say, when it comes to transfers, when it comes to the international market, when it comes to countries like the United States, it should be a numbers game. You should try to export as much as you can, whether it's the championship or in Europe, and allow them to grow, allow them to develop and allow them to explode there. But that being said, Jeff mentioned Joe Scally. I can add Anthony Robinson, Chris Richards. I can add the likes of Ricardo Peppi, who we thought was going to film. Did not transpire to film. I can add there the likes of Sergio Dest, who we come to find out for reports, said no to film. He doesn't want to go to the Premier League. The most enticing name here isn't Giovanni Reina. It's Xavier Goso. And guess what? Xavier Goso is not part of the US men's national team. That's the one name that gets you excited. And it's the one big transfer fee. Didn't happen for anybody else. We've been told that Western McKinney's been on his way out from Juventus for the last, Jack Scallender, five years running. So, it's mediocre at best. That said, there needs to be movement. Whether it's Major League Soccer, to the championship, whether it's Major League Soccer, to their divisive, whatever it is, you need to make the jump. And it needs to be a numbers game. Because it's a numbers game for Argentina. It's a numbers game for Brazil. It's a numbers game for Uruguay. The top exporters in the world. You need to do the same. Jack, would you make a Christian policy? Of course, still staying at Milan. Of course, there have been talks that his position could be under threat based on some of the signings that Milan have made. And, of course, with new management coming into. Was this the right move to stay there? Do you want to see some more stable? We're kind of giving Christian politics own path. Let's call it to Milan. Clubs landing at clubs and bringing church in particular. Never really settling. Huge question marks as to whether he was even wanted. You understand Christian policy wanted to stay where, at least until 12 months ago, he was highly valued. And a big part of that little bit of a research of a Milan. And now, disappointing 2026, there is no hiding that. And I think that more than anything, and his injury in the summer has put his long term future into some doubt. But I'll say it again. Players back themselves, 99 times out of 100. Christian policy intends to get fit, intends to be that play that he was 12 or 18 months ago, put this 2026, certainly for his half of it, behind him. So I think, yes, it's the right move. Oh, well, it's the right option for him not to move. Well, Shaq, let me stick with you for this next one, too, because it's a player that we both respect so much. And that's Tyler Adams now. But of course, staying at Bournemouth, he was linked to teams like Manchester United, don't laugh. I know you know where I'm coming from with this one. However, now, again, new management at Bournemouth. We're seeing that he's being benched probably more often than not. We do know his history with injury. So it's still early on in the season. But do you think he should have entertained some offers? Yes. Listen, I'm credit to Bournemouth. I think Bournemouth have proved themselves to be one of the fairytale stories of the Premier League over the last couple of years. And Tyler Adams is a big part of that. There is absolutely no denying that. No, you can continue to chase that fairytale with Bournemouth for as long as it lasts. Or entertain offers from bigger clubs, where you'd be competing at the higher end of the table far more consistently. In all honesty, kind of giving way of Bournemouth, you can almost be an argument for them to continue. But that's on the off-chance. And again, those are very tuned, fairytale stories for a reason. I think Tyler Adams deserves to play for a bigger club. I think his talents warrant that. I'm surprised that he's still at Bournemouth. I don't know his wages. I don't know what the transfer he would even be for Tyler Adams. Sometimes it's not as easy as I want out. I'm going out. These things can happen. Given his injury history, given the type of player he is physically, I'm sure most team that would be interested would want some sort of insurance policy that is going to be on the field. To me, this is not that big of a news. It's a player in the first two games. Didn't start. I'd back Tyler Adams. I would. He's the player that if he's physically fit, he's going to win his position. He's going to be on the field and he's going to be a good presence for you. So I'm not too worried about that. Would you have liked a better transfer for a player like Tyler Adams? Sure. Where? Did we realistically see him at United? I have. You really succeeded in one of the top six. I don't think Bournemouth is a bad place. Bournemouth definitely is not a bad place to leave either. We know he absolutely loves it there. But Jeff, I want to touch on Ricardo Pepi and Serginio Destin. Their situation there at PSV. Of course, both of them opting to say but Herc on the show on Monday said that he felt that Serginio Dest had outgrown the eerie divisive. Do you understand where he's coming from? Absolutely. You know, this is a player who moved to Barcelona, you know, tried his luck there. It didn't work out. So you know, he went back to the Dutch league with PSV. Yeah, I think he, you know, you watch him play. Listen, everyone knows the quality is both good and bad versus Serginio Destin. I mean, going forward, the guy is electric and really dynamic in the attacking half. Defensively, he can be a bit of a liability. And I don't really see him being tested in that way in the era of the Vizier. So, you know, the fact that the Fulham came calling is, and he turned them down. To me, that's a little bit of a surprise. You know, in terms of Peppy, I mean, really, it was Fulham who backed out of that particular deal, you know, back in the spring. And, you know, this guy has really endured some body blows in terms of his career. I mean, when you think about the national team, not making it in 2022, you know, now this situation with Fulham. And so, but I think in Peppy's situation, it's not all bad. And he's a guy who I think really does need to prove his fitness, that he can last, you know, the pace of a full season. He's a starter until someone takes it away from him. And, you know, he's been waiting for this opportunity for what seems like forever. So, I expect him to score a lot of goals with PSV. And I expect clubs, you know, other than Fulham, you know, to come knocking and see what they can get him for. So, disappointment for dust, but I think for Peppy, this is a situation that he can really build on his career, build his resume, and then really make himself attractive to other clubs in Europe. Yeah, Ricardo Peppy definitely has been in some fine form with the club shirts on Indeed. All right, well, let's just remind you exactly how Americans stand in the league phase squad. You have a whole 11 in the Europa League. That's well, you'll find majority of them. Six playing in the Champions League and three of them in the conference league. So, lots to look for in European competition this season. All right, so honestly, the numbers that we saw, Herc, is that enough for you? In European football? Yeah. Yeah, because I'm old enough to remember one. You didn't have numbers in European football. But you'd rather see these players in the Champions League. You'd rather see a Western McKinney competing. You'd rather see Christian, Policic in the Champions League. You want to see a player like Tyler Adams. You want to see your aces. You want to see the players who really, really represent what your program is about. That's where you want to see them. But like I said earlier, this is a numbers game. That's what it is. The best countries in the world produce the numbers in these type of competitions. You need to do the same. And we can sit here. Look, Americans, that's a lot of players in the Premier League. Yeah. The Bundesliga. These are top leagues around the world. So you're getting good players in these good leagues. You just got to get more of them. Check? Yeah, listen, I see no issue in the numbers at all. Listen, I'm not critical of that in this slide. Especially when you take into consideration some of the conversations that we were just having moments ago. That some of the biggest moves I say in an avoided comments is players who did not move in this transfer window. Players who were able to stay at their clubs and are not offloaded and given that opportunity yet again. So all those things that it take into consideration, that representation of what was it? Eight in the Champions League 11 in the Europa League. I think given where US Soccer is right now. That's outstanding. I tell you what, Jack, turn it on Tobago. Yeah, no need to be. Be a pretty simple, be a pretty simple graph to draw. Three players in the cup. Yeah. Well, Leon Bailey with Gallo Biancos. I know, yeah. Well, that's still just one. That's still just one. All right, Jeff Carlisle. Thank you so much as always for joining us. We look forward to catching up with you again soon. All right. Well, let's just remind you that irritative busy is on ESPN. And you can find this juicy matchup, Serginio Des and Ricardo Pepe in action for PSV as they face IACs. That Saturday 2 p.m. Eastern time kickoff on the ESPN app. All right. Let's talk about the league's cup, shall we? Let's get into all the semi-final highlights. Now we're going to start off with Toluca, which is looking like a very well-oiled machine taking on Leon in the semi-finals. 23rd minute now. Elinio's shot would be saved here by Oscar Garcia. Yeah, good save. I was going to see the Brazilian with the Fabulous shot off. The Rayban Elinio has been on a tear lately and catches one early. But good save by the keeper. Forty-first minute, Leon can't quite clear the ball. Oh, keeper. And the radar. Yeah, it's a really nice finish from Pereira. It doesn't have to hit it well because the keeper is off his line. Gets in a muddle with his own defender, doesn't get good hands on it. Nice finish, Pereira. Into the second half, we go now. And it would be much of the same as Toluca would make it too nil. Yeah, Federico Vignas. It's a bit unlucky for the goalkeeper. He makes the initial save goes over him and then the bounce is very kind for Vignas as he watches it going. Just a couple of minutes later now, Romana would be naughty, naughty, and get his second yellow card, which means he's got to get going. I mean, it's silly. It really is. To get sent off without listening. Yeah, descent, right? I know you're trailing and you're frustrated, but that's just silly. So Leon down to ten men and a mountain to climb back here. Jorge Diaz's shot hits the post. Fans can't quite believe that that stayed out. 89th minute though, Bruno Mendez. You would get a second yellow for this foul on Diaz and he is sent off. Yeah, he don't. It's, uh, look at a tactical foul. Caches him. You get the second yellow. That's enough. And then, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh. Ain't not happy. They're not happy, but I'll tell you who's happy after that. Toluca, as they booked their spot in the final. Then it was over to Cluba Medica taking on Monterey in the second semi-final of the night, 13 minutes in. Shout for a penalty here. Henry Martín saying he got stepped on right there. You're going to see it. It's Alcido right there. Does he step on a man? He can't come in. He's down. No guard. No guard though. I'm okay with that. All right, 49 minute now. You were Rossi going for the cross there, but it ends up in the back of the net on Monterey. Did he mean to check? I think he did. Yeah. I think Dave Rossi means this. Go for it. Go for it. Let me tell you, this set off a wild 10 minutes where all the goals came. 57 minute, America. Find the equalizer through Juarez. Yeah, Ramon Juarez. The defender, the center back gets the start and gets his goal. 63rd minute, Cervantes. Curling in a nice stunner from outside the box on America. Taking the lead. The pass, the pick out of the Cervantes was special, but they finish. Oh, and the rest of the throw. How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? How's that? Quipers here with a chance, and he scores the penalty. So it's Monterey that would advance to the final after winning five-four on penalties. And do you hear that? Huh? That sadness is the wailing that we heard from our Mauricio Pedro. Oh, yeah. Two more minutes ago broke his heart because look at that final, which I'm pretty sure he thought we would see some yellow shirts. But instead, it is Toluca versus Monterey in the league's cup final indeed. All right. Well, let's touch on Toluca first in this one. And what El Turco Mohammed is doing, because that is a well-oiled machine arc. What impressed you about how they went about this win? Well, it's not just this win. They have five trophies in the last 18 months. Five minutes, sir. And he seems to everywhere he goes, everything he touches turns into gold. And he revitalizes the locker room. He makes players believe. They give not only their all, but more than some think they're capable of. And he produces winners. It was total domination by León. León is a team that, since Javier Gandolfi, after the first two weeks when they didn't win, got to the team, were undefeated. They were undefeated. And they humiliated León. I know it's away from León. I know it's not in Mexico. But they made León look like a second-rate team. And most teams in League of Mekis have not found the formula to do that. Toluca is on a different level. It seems like they've got two players per position. Paulinho is out for the rest of the season. He was the back-to-back leading goal scorer in League of Mekis. No problem. They get Vignas from La Liga, a veteran of League of Mekis, who just came back from Spain. He just played a World Cup of the Uruguayan national team. They have depth at all the positions. And they've got the coaching experience to back it up. And they're going to go for their sixth trophy in 18 months. They're, by far, the better team in this game. And maybe in this competition, maybe in North America, the defending concaf champion. It's not that I can't keep going on about Toluca. It just wouldn't do him justice. Well, unlike me, because, you know, I'm an essential worker. I was up at 2 a.m. Eastern time when this match finished. And El Turcamo Ahmed did his press conference and confirmed that Paulinho could play about 30 minutes in the final hurt. Wow. So what? What he was done? No, he's not. Well, we'll see. We'll see. 30 minutes is something. Pero algo salga. We'll see. But Shag, when you look at Toluca now, and everything that Herc just said, and what El Turcamo Ahmed has been doing, I mean, it's going to be hard to stop a team like this. It really is. If they've got genuine firepower in Venus and Pereira, but championships are one of strong defenses. And in Toluca, we talked about a team that hasn't conceded in the quarterfinal, did not concede in the semi, and going into the final on the back of that, as that strong defense, as their foundation. It's hard to see anybody else, but Toluca here, no. Don't get me wrong. It's a final. And Monterey has a punches chance, but I see this as Toluca's to lose. Yeah, Herc, when you look at it, because Shag, it brings up a good point. Solidly, they have been so defensively solid as well. What impresses you more the way they go about? The attacker, just their defensive stability. I was an attacker. I love the way they attack. Turcamo Ahmed, throughout his career as a coach, has been very defensive-minded in transition football. Very pragmatic. Take your chances when you can. That's not this Toluca. They are firepower everywhere. And they've got, I've already mentioned two-per-position, and they find gems. You know, Diaz Pryce was a player who was playing in Liga de Expansion, you know, and Cancun, who was an afterthought, who many discarded and was probably on the verge of retirement. Turcamo Ahmed's seasons and then the kid brings him up, and he's scoring goals for fun. Vignas was a guy that Rado Viedo scored a few goals, but he had more red cards and probably goals. You know, we see something to bring him down. He's helping you out. Elinio comes in, this Brazilian, and the first couple of months that Elinio was in Liga Meckys, he did not look good. They stuck with him, and now he's a world-beater. He just got a massive transfer to Russian football, I believe, that will happen soon. So they're so good in how they find players and how they give players this confidence going forward. They're a tough team to beat. It doesn't matter who you are. But it will be very important where this game is played. Yeah. To my understanding, Tuluka has priority because they are the number one ranked team left in this competition. They will choose the venue. But Tuluka is a very regional team in Mexican football. They've got the second most titles in Liga Meckys, and they're not considered un grande. Like in the UK and England, you have the big six. There's the big four in Mexico. They've got more titles than anybody in that big four besides Club America. And they're not considered a big team. So where they go will be a factor because Monterey, if it's anywhere in Texas, if it's anywhere in California, can bring that fanfare, can bring those fans into the equation and it could affect this. But this is going to be Tuluka's lose. Right. Well, you talked about the big four in Mexico and few. I don't think any are really bigger than Club America on paper. However, last night Monterey proved to be a lot bigger than Club America, especially on penalties. We can always be a lottery. But now the Club America fans, including our mouth, are crying hurt that the referee had a say in this. Do they have a point? Well, their head coach was the one. And I'm not going to say he was crying about it. But look, this play right here. I mainly met Mal. Shaq said he's okay with it. I am too. You look at it in real time. Look, they said he got stepped on football. Soccer is a contact sport. And not every contact is deemed a foul. And when you slow this down, it looks worse. And then this play right here with Oralim Pineda. The referee calls penalty kick. So now you've got to find a definitive image that shows you that it's not a foul. And everywhere I look, there's contact need and need. And the player goes down. And the referee calls it. So now, if you want to call this back, Var has to find clear and obvious evidence that it's not a foul. I can't find clear and obvious. I would be okay with it not being called. But once it's called, I can't find clear and obvious for it to be called back. So I think that was the right call, the penalty kick. As far as the Henry Martin getting stepped on, these actions happen all the time. In football, you could feel hard done. But I don't think there's enough there for you to give a penalty kick. And you saw the lower third. How I said that they're really the ones who are crying about this to the referees. In any league, La Liga, Rahman, Dread, Barcelona, in England, Manchester City, Liverpool, Man United, the big clubs are going to get the calls. It just happens. So I have no issue with that. But these, I think, were the fair calls. Shaq, any issues with that call? No, not ready at all. I will admit, the first one on first look didn't look a penalty to me at all. The second on first look did. And once those decisions are given, it's hard to kind of see them be overturned as a result. Yes, you can make that argument. And if I were Club of America, I had to endure being on the wrong side of both those calls. I'd be upset too. And I'd be comparable to the referee as much as anyone. But I'm not. And I'm happy to kind of go with the referees facing because it was also mine. You know, Herc, another new coach, and another international forecast. So how do they take this on? Well, the same way they've taken the last probably eight. You know, I say this with respect. America has had an unbelievable run in the last four or five years. But for whatever reason, the international title, whether it's League's Cup, whether it's the playoff game to get into the club World Cup versus LAFC, it hasn't gone their way. And there have been some crazy outcomes. A few years ago, I remember changing the channel after they beat Nashville. And then looking at my phone and the Nashville game is still going on because they called one of the penalty kicks back in the shootout. And you're like, what's going on? And it's always something with Club of America. But they can't get that monkey after back. They can't win the international title. And that's the only thing. That's the only thing their owner has said that he wants. The only thing. And they can't do it. I really don't know what it is, but they just can't get it done. It's like a new curse to the bambino. It's because he said he wanted it. And then the universe said, I don't know. I don't know about that. All right, guys, let's book it. Shall we? These are the odds for the final to Luca up against Monterey. Now, if you don't want to trust those odds, that's why we got our experts here. Trust us. Trust us. Trust us. And trust, Shaka. Shaka. What did you say? The well oiled machine that is to Luca or those that Monterey who know how to win but suffering? Listen, I think Monterey have a punches chance. It's a final and there's always that that opportunity for them. But to Luca just showed themselves to me a far more complete for both of them. As I mentioned, kind of building on that foundation of a very solid defense and having firepower up front, I think they are double down in sailing. This is their time to lose. Yeah, I think it's no surprise that two of the biggest spenders in Mexican football are in another final. I mean, there's probably four big spenders in Mexican football, the other being Degres and then Cruceso. These two spend as much as anybody and Monterey has a very European feel to that roster. They've got a very international feel. Diego Rossi and Kipers are players that know MLS competition very well and they've even punished in MLS competition very well. This isn't MLS competition. This is to Luca now. I still think that Monterey has a very strong spirit. I still think it's to Luca's to lose, but Monterey has enough firepower with Almeida and they have enough roster build with Dennis DeCloso where I think that puncture's chance that Shack is talking about is definitely doable. All right, so it will be an all-leaguey Mekis showdown in the league's cup final. We cannot wait for that one. Well, if you want to check in on our Mauricio Pedrosa, you can find him over on out of Nunca. It is on weekdays just catching on our YouTube. Welcome to Major League Soccer for Robert David Dorskitt. Levin Dorskitt! He's a fire for the fire! And Joking! The little prince becomes the Lion King! We now welcome to the show, a legend of US Soccer, a man who's played multiple world cups and has the best facial hair in the US men's national team's history. Take that, Alexi Laus. I will get there myself one day. Marcelo, how are you doing, my man? I'm good, buddy. How are you? Good. I'm better now. It's always good to see you, man. It really is. I always love talking with you about Major League Soccer and League on Mickey's. You're one of the few guys who's played in both. And you're very close right now to the transfer window. There's been lots of news around the world but Major League Soccer's transfer window was just as exciting. So, I'm curious, Marcelo, is there any one signing that's gotten you a bit excited and maybe with that signing gives this team a real contention for MLS Cup. Ooh, you know, it's been so many good ones with Lewandowski in Bolo. To me, in Bolo is a big one. I love that one because we just saw him playing a World Cup. He had such a good, good World Cup and then you look at Griezmann who I think is going to make a huge impact. And he has been at Orlando. Casimiros did a great job in Miami. So, you know, we just did San Diego. We saw a chewy. So, man, I still got to go with Lewandowski. I think that is probably for me the biggest signing for Chicago Fire. I put him up there with the Guatemala Blanco to the world and what he did for Chicago. I think Lewandowski could do could do the same thing in that area. Oh, man, that Chicago Fire of the 2000s with the Guatemala Blanco revitalized the Chicago Fire really made them a contender. You know what the Polish community is like down in Chicago, Robert Lewandowski can no doubt do the same. Antoine Griezmann to me is very, very exciting. I know. I know it's not the Antoine Griezmann of the prime years in Athletico, but you're still a very good player. And Casimiros, he was doing this last year for Manchester United. He could be the missing piece for Inter Miami. And Messi, too, once again, left the cup. But I really like the Robert Lewandowski show here, Chuck. I think you're on a something. Yeah. To me, you know what, when you look at goal scores and in this league, we've had, listen, we know what Beckham has done for this league. We know what Messi's done, what Suarez has done, what Suarez has done to Paul's command. But I even go back to the old days of Novak and Valderama and what they did for this sport. And I looked at when they said, I live on Dowsky to Chicago. I'm thinking myself, man, Polish, good striker, the way Greg likes the play. Everything fits perfectly. So I, for me, that's probably the signing of this transfer window that came up so far. I love it. I absolutely love it. Just because the passion he brings and he's not here to just say, just the play. He's here to win a championship. You can see him on the field. You can see how, how he's getting into his teammates in the same regressment. So, so far, Matt, it's been a good transfer window. Are you somebody who takes stock into this MLS retirement image that they want to shed it? Or do you just care about the player? Does the age matter? You just care about the player? No, listen, I think, when we started, in my era, when we started coming in, they were bringing players, and let's be honest, they were a little over their prime. Nowadays, when you start looking at the players they're bringing in, I believe it's the average age of 26 to 28. So that's a different breed of athlete right there. This is a guy that's in his prime. He wants to come and make a difference in the United States. I think Messi and Beckham have opened up the eyes of a lot of people of the potential of what this league has. We're not there yet, but we're getting there. And I think people love the ability to look at this and say, I want to be a part of history. And that's why they're coming down the lesson. They're listening. Am I on the bandwagon from LS? Yes. You know why? Because as a kid, I wanted a league. I wanted to play in the United States. I wanted to be able to take my grandkids to a game to the rapid, or whoever I'm living. And when I look at this league, and how much we've grown, and we went away from the older players to these younger players, I think it's fantastic. Do we have a ways to go? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. 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