🎙️ U.S. Soccer Podcast •August 26, 2026 •⏱️ 48 min

Heath Pearce on the USMNT's Fall Slate & Being a Girl Dad | U.S. Soccer Podcast

1. Executive Overview: Core Theses & Key Revelations

The convergence of elite athletic experience, tactical retrospection, and media vulnerability rarely aligns as seamlessly as it did in the landmark dialogue between former United States Men's National Team (USMNT) defender Heath Pearce and host Megan Klingberg on the U.S. Soccer Podcast. Framed against the backdrop of a landmark tri-nation World Cup on home soil and the imminent tactical recalibration under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, this conversation serves as a critical barometer for American soccer’s structural maturation. Far from a routine post-career victory lap, Pearce’s reflections offer a unflinching audit of international tactical standards, the psychological friction of professional transitions, and the institutional evolution of U.S. Soccer as it approaches a decisive decade.

At the center of this analytical exchange are three core theses that define the modern trajectory of American football:

  • The Shift from Structural Pragmatism to Tactical Proactivity: The traditional paradigm of American international soccer—defined by rigid defensive blocks, physical endurance, and opportunistic set-piece execution—has reached its structural ceiling. As Pearce articulates, competing against top-tier global opposition requires an uncompromising commitment to territorial dominance and ball-retention under pressure, moving away from historic postures where teams would "sit back and hope for the best."
  • The Ergonomic Dilemma of the Modern Full-Back: The contemporary left-back position has evolved into one of the most demanding roles in modern tactical systems. Pearce highlights the intrinsic paradox facing modern wide defenders: they remain fundamental defensive anchors while simultaneously expected to provide elite speed, metronomic passing range, high-volume overlap width, and lethal final-ball delivery.
  • The Culture of Iterative Growth and Post-Athletic Identity: Transitioning from high-stakes elite sport into content creation and media requires an intentional dismantling of athlete perfectionism. Pearce introduces a paradigm of vulnerability—grounded in the principle that acknowledging initial failure ("sucking at something") is the prerequisite for measurable daily growth, a mentality that extends directly into post-career personal development and fatherhood.

To contextualize these thematic pillars, the following comparative framework outlines the core revelations established during the conversation, contrasting historical U.S. Soccer operational paradigms with the emerging structural imperatives under modern managerial leadership:

Dimension Historical Operational Baseline Emerging Structural Imperative Analytical Significance
Tactical Identity Low-block pragmatism, reactive transitions, physical counter-pressing. Proactive spatial control, high positional fluidity, build-up bravery. Demands technical security and decision-making under high-pressure pressing traps.
Wide Defender Role Traditional touchline containment, safety-first clearance distribution. Dual-threat playmaking, inverted midfield support, progressive crossing. Imposes severe physical endurance and cognitive scanning burdens on full-backs.
Institutional Resourcing Budgetary constraints, localized coaching profiles, incremental targets. Tier-one global coaching hires (Pochettino, Hayes), elite federation infrastructure. Signals an explicit shift from regional competitiveness to international podium ambition.
Media & Player Culture Curated PR messaging, risk-averse public commentary, compartmentalized media. Athlete-driven media platforms, authentic vulnerability, real-time fan engagement. Drives unprecedented cultural transparency and emotional connection with fanbases.

This executive overview establishes that U.S. Soccer's current juncture is defined not merely by talent accumulation, but by the systemic necessity to align elite coaching capital with player execution and psychological maturity. As Pearce's observations demonstrate, achieving global parity requires an honest accounting of past failures combined with the infrastructure to sustain top-tier expectations.

2. Context & Background: The Landscape Leading to This Conversation

Understanding the weight of Pearce and Klingberg’s dialogue requires examining the broader historical and macroeconomic landscape of American soccer. For decades, the USMNT operated within a cycle of regional dominance in CONCACAF punctuated by hard-fought, yet structurally limited, World Cup runs. The benchmark of the 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil—specifically the round-of-16 exit against Belgium—remains a watershed moment in national team analytics. Pearce's explicit reference to that match underscores a lingering frustration within the veteran community: despite individual heroism, the collective performance exhibited systemic passivity, relying heavily on defensive heroics rather than proactive tactical control.

The contextual backdrop of this conversation is further defined by the monumental hosting of the Men's World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Hosting a tournament of such magnitude created a decentralized cultural phenomenon. Unlike concentrated host environments in previous editions such as Qatar in 2022 or France in 2019, the tri-nation format distributed matches across vast metropolitan hubs. This geographical dispersion presented unique logistical challenges for fan integration, prompting the creation of localized fan epicenters such as Venice Beach Fan Headquarters and U.S. Soccer House. These hubs served as vital cultural nodes where international supporters, traveling across North American cities, collided with domestic fandom.

Concurrently, U.S. Soccer initiated a fundamental restructuring of its sporting hierarchy. Recognizing that domestic talent development had outgrown traditional coaching frameworks, the federation executed two landmark managerial appointments: securing former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino to direct the USMNT, alongside renowned tactician Emma Hayes to lead the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT). As Klingberg emphasizes, these hires represent a decisive declaration of intent. Backed by expanding commercial revenue, global sponsorship alignments, and world-class training facilities, U.S. Soccer has transitioned into one of the most financially resourced federations in global sport.

However, financial backing and managerial pedigree do not automatically guarantee silverware. The upcoming fall friendly slate—featuring fixtures against South American powerhouses Peru and Chile, alongside fierce CONCACAF rivals Mexico and Canada—represents the immediate testing ground for this new era. These fixtures are not cosmetic exercises; they provide Pochettino with vital data points to evaluate squad depth, tactical adaptability, and positional discipline as the program builds toward future tournament cycles. It is within this intersection of high commercial expectations and rigorous tactical recalibration that Pearce and Klingberg convened to evaluate the state of the American game.

3.1 Tactical Realities & The Evolution of the Modern Left-Back

Few positions in modern football have undergone a more violent tactical metamorphosis than the full-back. Drawing from his extensive career comprising 35 USMNT caps and three MLS All-Star selections, Heath Pearce delivers a profound technical assessment of the modern left-back position. Traditionally viewed as a primary defensive stopper tasked with touchline containment, the left-back of contemporary football is now required to act as a hybrid architect—combining elite defensive awareness with progressive passing range, explosive recovery speed, and high-quality final-ball delivery.

Pearce notes that this evolution creates an inherent ergonomic conflict for players. A defender’s primary directive must always remain defensive solvency: closing down wide channels, tracking back-post runs, winning 1v1 aerial and ground duels, and maintaining defensive line symmetry. Yet modern tactical schemes—whether employing overlapping wing-back patterns or inverted midfield rotations—demand that full-backs act as secondary playmakers. When a team transitions into the attacking third, the left-back is expected to stretch the opposition's low block, provide precise crosses into the penalty box, and immediately execute counter-pressing recoveries upon loss of possession.

To illustrate the multifaceted tactical demands imposed on modern full-backs across distinct phases of play, consider the following technical breakdown:

Phase of Play Primary Tactical Objective Key Technical Requirements Positional Risk & Failure Modes
Possession Build-Up Provide wide passing angles; break opposition pressing lines via progressive carries or vertical passes. Body orientation upon receiving, two-touch line-breaking passes, spatial awareness under pressure. Telegraphed backward passes leading to high turnover traps in the defensive third.
Attacking Third Overlap Deliver high-value crosses into dangerous zones; create overloads with wide interior midfielders. Lethal final-ball crossing, timed overlapping runs, rapid speed change in 1v1 situations. Over-commitment leaving wide transitional corridors exposed to opponent counter-attacks.
Mid-Block Defensive State Deny wide wingers inside dribbling lanes; maintain compact horizontal spacing with central defenders. Elite 1v1 defensive posture, body orientation, anticipatory interception scanning. Getting caught flat-footed or allowing opponent wingers unhindered delivery into the box.
Transitional Counter-Press Immediately collapse on ball-carrier upon turnover; delay opposition forward progression. Explosive acceleration, tactical fouling awareness, immediate defensive tracking. Vacating key defensive space, leaving the weak-side center-back isolated in space.

Pearce’s analysis underscores that modern international full-backs cannot survive on physical athleticism alone. The cognitive load required to read pressing triggers, calculate risk during overlapping runs, and maintain structural integrity during defensive transitions demands an extraordinary football IQ. For the USMNT, cultivating full-backs who possess both the defensive grit to neutralize elite wingers and the technical refinement to contribute to complex build-up play remains an imperative requirement under Pochettino's tactical framework.

3.2 Structural Diagnosis: USMNT World Cup Bottlenecks & The Belgium Benchmark

A central pillar of Pearce’s commentary is his diagnostic evaluation of the USMNT’s historical tournament bottlenecks, specifically referencing the defining round-of-16 exit against Belgium. Pearce’s assessment is uncompromising: the performance was marked by a collective off-day where individual and team outputs demonstrated negligible progression from previous international cycles. Despite heroic individual displays, the match exposed a fundamental structural flaw—the inability to hold possession, manage match tempo, and impose tactical control against elite European opposition.

Pearce contrasts this historical passivity with the psychological shift taking root in the current generation of American players. For decades, American teams approached matches against superior footballing nations with a defensive survival mindset—sitting in a compact low block, absorbing relentless pressure, and hoping to snatch a result through set pieces or counter-attacking luck. Pearce asserts that modern American players no longer accept this subordinate posture. The emerging expectation is one of proactive engagement: confronting high-caliber opponents directly, dictating territorial control, and refusing to adopt a passive stance regardless of the opponent's prestige.

This tactical maturation reflects a broader shift in player development. With an increasing proportion of the USMNT roster competing regularly in Europe’s top-five leagues and Champions League environments, the ceiling of tactical belief has elevated. However, Pearce cautions that belief alone is insufficient. The transition from reactive survival to proactive dominance requires systemic consistency—eliminating the collective "off days" that have historically derailed World Cup knockout campaigns and replacing them with tactical discipline and technical execution under high-pressure scenarios.

3.3 The Pochettino & Hayes Era: Resources, Coaching Capital, and Potential Realization

The appointment of Mauricio Pochettino for the men’s program and Emma Hayes for the women’s program marks an unprecedented inflection point in U.S. Soccer history. In her analysis, Megan Klingberg forcefully highlights that U.S. Soccer has established itself as "one of the best-resourced federations in the world." Securing two managers of this elite global standing provides undeniable proof that the federation is leveraging its financial muscle to compete at the absolute pinnacle of international football.

However, both Klingberg and Pearce engage in a subtle deconstruction of what "potential" signifies in elite sports performance. Klingberg notes that potential is inherently an unfulfilled metric—a declaration that a squad possesses raw talent that has yet to be converted into concrete international achievement. Too often in American sports narrative, young rosters are lauded for theoretical upside without facing the rigorous demands required to convert that upside into silverware. The hiring of world-class managers addresses this precise bottleneck.

Coaches of Pochettino and Hayes’ pedigree bring extensive experience in elite tactical periodization, squad management, and high-pressure tournament navigation. Under Pochettino, the USMNT will be subjected to intense tactical standards, requiring players to adapt to sophisticated pressing triggers and positional structures. The upcoming fall friendly slate—featuring matches against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada—serves as the initial proving ground. These matches will allow Pochettino to audit squad capabilities, establish baseline tactical principles, and evaluate which core players possess the mental resilience to anchor the program into the 2030 World Cup cycle.

3.4 Media Transformation & Vulnerability: From Pitch to Studio

Beyond tactical analysis, the conversation offers a captivating exploration of the evolving media landscape surrounding American soccer. The transition of former professional athletes into digital media creators has reshaped how football is analyzed and consumed. Pearce, who co-hosts the Orange Slices Podcast and has worked extensively across major broadcast platforms, provides rare insight into the chaotic reality of live sports commentary.

Reflecting on their joint live broadcast shows during the World Cup at Venice Beach Fan HQ, Pearce and Klingberg recount the intense pressure of producing live analysis on tight turnarounds. Operating with 90-minute script prep windows while managing live crowd dynamics requires a delicate balance between spontaneous engagement and structured tactical commentary. Pearce vividly describes the volatility of real-time broadcasting—standing on the edge of the stage, microphone in hand, ready to deliver scripted insights on a 2-2 match against Turkey, only for Turkey to score a late goal seconds before stepping on stage. This volatile environment demands rapid adaptability, forcing commentators to discard prepared scripts and analyze unfolding drama in real time.

Pearce draws a direct parallel between broadcast chaos and professional athletic competition. Both environments require individuals to operate amidst high degrees of uncertainty and public vulnerability. Pearce’s philosophy—that "sucking at something is great because you know the next day you're going to suck a lot less"—serves as a powerful framework for post-career personal development. In an industry often dominated by polished PR narratives, Pearce’s willingness to embrace initial failure as a measurable metric of growth represents a refreshing paradigm shift in athletic media commentary.

3.5 Personal Identity & Modern Athlete Mentality: The "Girl Dad" Paradigm

Perhaps the most poignant dimension of the interview is Pearce’s candid reflection on life after professional soccer and his identity as a father to three young daughters (aged 10, 8, and 6). For elite athletes whose self-worth has been tied to physical performance, competitive statistics, and roster selections, retiring from sport often triggers an existential vacuum. Pearce addresses the emotional toll of missing out on major career milestones, such as missing a 23-man World Cup roster, and the ongoing psychological challenge of finding peace beyond athletic achievements.

Pearce articulates a deeply reflective approach to fatherhood, lightheartedly admitting to utilizing parenting as an intentional catalyst for personal growth. Raising three daughters with distinct personalities, interests, and communication styles forces a fundamental recalibration of ego. In the competitive athletic arena, control, repetition, and physical mastery dictate success; in fatherhood, empathy, active listening, and emotional adaptability take precedence. Pearce describes the immense joy of being invited into his daughters' unique worlds—navigating sports, surfing, and daily routines like hair maintenance—where his historic athletic achievements hold no currency.

This perspective is metaphorically captured in Pearce’s lighthearted discussion about growing his hair long. The ongoing debate over whether to shave his head following a World Cup bet or maintain his iconic flow reflects a broader theme of letting go of rigid expectations. By embracing the daily maintenance, challenges, and humor of personal growth—both as a father and a media professional—Pearce exemplifies a modern athlete identity grounded in gratitude, emotional maturity, and continuous learning.

4. Speaker Perspectives & Analytical Contrast

The dynamic between Megan Klingberg and Heath Pearce provides a compelling study in analytical synergy and thematic balance. Klingberg, operating as host, anchors the dialogue with institutional optimism, structured narrative pacing, and broad federation awareness. Pearce, drawing from the gritty realities of professional locker rooms and international competition, provides raw, unvarnished player perspectives tempered by self-aware humor. Their interaction creates an engaging intellectual exchange that elevates the discourse beyond standard media commentary.

The following comparative matrix delineates the distinct analytical lenses, structural focus areas, and key qualitative contributions brought forth by each speaker during the podcast episode:

Analytical Dimension Megan Klingberg (Host / Broadcaster) Heath Pearce (Guest / USMNT Veteran) Synthesis & Editorial Consensus
Primary Lens Institutional growth, fan experience, federation macro-strategy. Granular player psychology, tactical realities, post-career transition. Harmonizes elite structural ambition with practical player-level execution.
Tactical Assessment Focuses on managerial impact (Pochettino/Hayes) and squad potential. Deconstructs positional mechanics (left-back burdens) and historical low-block passivity. Agrees that elite managerial leadership must eliminate historical performance volatility.
Media & Fan Engagement Emphasizes fan connection, cultural storytelling, and broadcast agility. Highlights the chaotic reality of live commentary and real-time adaptability. Validates authentic, athlete-led commentary as the future of football media.
Personal Development Prompts exploration of life transitions, media growth, and parenting. Embraces vulnerability, iterative failure ("sucking less"), and fatherhood as self-growth. Establishes that long-term fulfillment requires self-awareness beyond athletic identity.

While Klingberg highlights the macro-level investments made by U.S. Soccer—emphasizing world-class coaching hires and unprecedented federation resources—Pearce provides the necessary friction by probing how those resources translate onto the pitch. Where Klingberg sees unbounded potential, Pearce demands technical execution and mental toughness. This balanced contrast ensures that the discussion remains grounded in tactical realism while celebrating the undeniable commercial and structural progress of American soccer.

5. Strategic & Industry Implications

The insights articulated by Pearce and Klingberg ripple far beyond a single podcast episode, carrying profound strategic implications for the North American soccer ecosystem. As the sport accelerates toward future international tournament cycles, several macroeconomic, tactical, and media trends are poised to shape the industry landscape:

  • The Commercial Acceleration of North American Football: The successful execution of a tri-nation World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico has permanently elevated North America's standing in the global football economy. The integration of localized fan zones, corporate sponsorships, and cross-border fan tourism demonstrates that the U.S. market is no longer an emerging football frontier, but a primary engine of global commercial growth.
  • The Imperative of Regional Dominance in CONCACAF: Mauricio Pochettino’s immediate test during the fall friendly slate—confronting traditional rivals Mexico and Canada alongside South American opposition—re-establishes regional fixtures as essential performance benchmarks. To establish global credibility, the USMNT must not merely dominate CONCACAF in results, but do so while imposing tactical control and technical superiority.
  • The Disruption of Sports Media via Athlete-Led Content: The growth of athlete-driven platforms, such as Pearce’s Orange Slices Podcast, reflects a permanent shift in sports journalism. Modern fans increasingly reject sanitized PR statements in favor of authentic, vulnerable, and technically sophisticated commentary delivered by former players who have experienced the high-stakes environment of elite competition.
  • Federation Governance and High-Performance Management: U.S. Soccer’s aggressive capital deployment to secure elite global managers sets a precedent for national federations worldwide. By providing top-tier infrastructure and technical leadership for both the men's and women's programs, U.S. Soccer has aligned its organizational strategy with global podium standards, placing the onus directly on player development and execution.

6. Looking Ahead: Unresolved Questions & Next Milestones

As U.S. Soccer enters this transformative era under Mauricio Pochettino and Emma Hayes, several critical questions remain unanswered. The upcoming fall friendly slate and subsequent tournament cycles will serve as the empirical testing ground for the hypotheses outlined in Pearce and Klingberg’s discussion. Analysts, fans, and federation executives will be closely monitoring specific operational and tactical metrics to evaluate genuine progress.

To gauge the structural evolution of the national team programs over the coming years, key metrics and milestones must be established across three primary domains:

Strategic Domain Key Performance Metric / Milestone Target Outcome & Analytical Benchmark
Tactical Execution (USMNT) Possession percentage and field tilt against top-15 FIFA ranked opponents. Sustain >50% territorial control and eliminate passive low-block survival postures.
Roster Depth & Modern Full-Backs Development of dual-threat wide defenders competing in elite European leagues. Establish a 4-man full-back rotation capable of progressive passing and high-volume crossing.
Tournament Podium Ambition (USWNT) Performance at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil under Emma Hayes. Reach the World Cup final while integrating a new generation of high-potential talent.
Federation Commercial Growth Sponsorship revenue retention and domestic broadcast engagement post-World Cup. Maintain elevated commercial valuations and expand grassroots development funding.

Ultimately, Heath Pearce and Megan Klingberg’s dialogue on the U.S. Soccer Podcast delivers a masterclass in modern sports analysis. By merging tactical rigor with raw personal vulnerability, they illuminate the complex realities of professional football. As U.S. Soccer navigates its next cycle, the lessons of the past—from Belgium heartbreaks to live broadcast scrambles—will serve as vital touchstones in the ongoing pursuit of international excellence.

💬 Key Quotes & Speaker Breakdown

USMNT World Cup performance

"Going out against Belgium in the way that the men's national team did I thought was really poor because it was an off day from everybody... individual performances collective performances showed no progress from what we'd seen in the past."

— Heath Pearce

"I made a bet during the World Cup... if the U.S. had beat Belgium I was going to shave my head. I was kind of ready for it but unfortunately they didn't as we know and so the hair continues to grow longer and longer out of control."

— Heath Pearce

USMNT tactical evolution

"I think there's a different belief in these players that like we can compete... we're not going to go out against a Bosnia and just sit back and hope for the best... we're going to actually take it to them."

— Heath Pearce

US Soccer future outlook

"We have two of the best coaches in the world leading our national teams with a really really great group of young players on it... US soccer is one of the best resourced federations in the world."

— Megan Klingberg

Tactical analysis

"The modern left back position as we know it is hard because you are and always will be a defender first however you're meant to have speed, you're meant to have a good final ball, you're meant to have good passing range."

— Heath Pearce

USMNT career/Mental health

"I remember that hitting me really hard and being like man it's never enough is it... I'm like trying whatever and I remember that not really bothering me because I kind of laughed it off but as a story of it doesn't really matter how far you go you've got to find a way to be one grateful."

— Heath Pearce

Personal development/Career transition

"Sucking at something is great because you know the next day, you're going to suck a lot less. And that is a measurable growth."

— Heath Pearce

Personal life

"I'm full transparency I use my kids for personal growth you know every single day of the week to be like doesn't everybody okay yeah how can I that's why I had them."

— Heath Pearce
📜 View Full Episode Verbatim Transcript 50,160 characters
Sometimes I'm riding my bike home from surfing or something and I write past the barbershop and I'll just hear the barbershop calling my name where I'm like, well, I'm already on the way and it's just kind of how an athlete is. It doesn't matter how high you climb. I feel like when it ends or when it doesn't go well, there always is a little piece of you that is like, ah, that hurt. Sucking at something is great because you know the next day, you're going to suck a lot less. And that is a measurable growth. Remembering like what you would have been thankful for when you had nothing, I think is the part that I look back on and knowing that you'll never truly have peace beyond the fact that like, you could have done more or if you would have done this thing different that could have happened or what could I have done differently that would have made me make that 23-man roster. Your face genuinely lit up when you were talking about your girls and I got to know what's the best part about being a girl dad. Welcome to the U.S. Soccer Podcast presented by Henkel, the show about American Soccer Defining Moments told by the people who lived them. I'm your host Megan Klingberg and today we have an incredible guest who I've gone to work with several times now and it's always been a complete delight. So glad to have Heath Pierce on the show. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I'm stoked you're here and I'm going to do a little introduction for the crowd just so they know your background hype you up a little bit. Are you ready for it? Yeah, if you're going to hype me up, I'm always ready for that. Oh yeah, here we go. Okay, it's always a pleasure to introduce Heath. It never gets old which is good since I happened to have done this multiple times over the last couple of weeks. He's had 35 cats with the U.S. Men's Dash team played all around the world and made three MLS All-Star teams. Now he's headlining the Orange Slices Podcast and talking soccer on many platforms but probably the role he is most proud of is girl dad. With some of the best hair in the game, he has a flow that all should be envious of. I know more than a few U.S. Men's national team alumni are definitely thinking that fell left back and a wonderful guy. Heath Pierce, welcome to the show. All right, that's even better. I'll take that any time and actually by I made a bet during the World Cup which wouldn't have affected Euronize working together because it was past that but if the U.S. had beat Belgium I was going to shave my head. I was kind of ready for it but unfortunately they didn't as we know and so the hair continues to grow longer and longer out of control. I love that. How long are you going to let it go for? I don't know. I got about to this length. I want to say like late last year and I was like I'm going full again like I've I've had it down to my shoulders before. I like them. I like the high bun but then I realized like during that time how difficult it can be wet hair washing it all the time day one sucks day two it feels better like that sort of thing every time I get to this point where I'm like I've got a lot more work to do. I start to remember all of the trauma of what having long hair is like and so I usually chicken out and so I'm going for it this time we'll see if I can make it through the end of this year but there's a good chance that sometimes I'm riding my bike home from surfing or something in a ride past the barbershop and I'll just hear the barbershop calling my name where I'm like well I'm already on the way and then it's gone and then I saw it. You know what honestly this feels like a huge plus as a girl dad I feel like you're getting to understand what it's like to have long hair to take care of it all of the maintenance and stuff that you have to go through this is just going to make it easier to be a dad of girls. I know my my my wife is very adamant with the kids especially our middle one she's got very much more wavy almost curly hair and so she has a lot more maintenance than the other two do but it's like first things first when they come downstairs in the morning my wife will be like brush your hair and so I know there's a lot of work to get the knots out keep the knots out and then keep it healthy and so you know I maybe we can all join in and a circular hair brushing type of thing I can I can empathize more with them. Honestly if you're going to do a tutorial I'd show up I need it so that would be good but let's start here Heath I feel like we have to start here we did live shows together during the men's world cup this summer well it was in Venice Beach it was ad fan headquarters it was so much fun have you done shows in that type of format before I haven't I think it was really unique for me because when you are when you are trying to stream out to an audience and then you're recording as well but you're also speaking to a live crowd it's a unique sort of like dance where you're kind of trying to make sure that I'm engaging with you but then you're you know if it's just this I can I can talk to you right but when you also have a crowd that's engaged and you can see all the feedback from their body language from their interests the way they lean in versus lean back and so I'd never done something quite unique like that but it was so much fun especially you know obviously we we buy in large had positive things to talk about but just seeing the passion from people that stuck around and hung out and asked questions and were engaged and to hear the knowledge and just the expertise that came with that and and all that that was the first time I got to experience something like that but I found it quite an adrenaline rush but also just really fun oh totally safe I've never done a show like that either I've done similar stuff where you like watch a game and then you're talking about it afterwards but this was completely different because it's a total scramble to get the script done in 90 minutes because you can't really plan it beforehand it's quite chaotic but it was also super fun and I just feel like that was such a blast learning something new like that but but for anybody that doesn't know scripts got written for the us turkey game we're standing on the edge of the stage right we had been making improvements of like we need to get this thing live right away and engage the crowd and you know so we're like basically it's like a baton pass of like here's your mic get on stage and go and obviously it's two two in the turkey game and we're like okay we've got everything we want to talk about we've got stats we've got data we've got like exciting things we've got some things to criticize and then just like that we're like one foot on the stage turkey scores and you're like well this is you know doing things in real time this is this is what comes with it and so being able to pivot I think though there's like really great skills to learn of being able to like work on the fly to you know deal with degrees of uncertainty you know levels of chaos that go into that and then when you come out of it you go okay yeah like before I thought I couldn't now I think I can and I know I can and and those types of things I think are applicable beyond just just working in in in the production or content space totally agree and I have a bit more to ask you about content creation but I want to do that later I do want to dig in on the world couple a little bit more we saw some amazing things during this world cup from fan interactions to Erling Highland bringing home a drunk raccoon to an all-American crew referring the Argentina England semi-final and I was wondering what was your favorite part of the world cup on home soil oh man it is it's so hard to to like define one single moment I think for me the culminating moment was getting a chance to go to the semi-final of of Argentina England because I had been to a couple of games and two of them were Spain games and Spain Portugal every time there was a foul like the other got other team was like helping them up and they'd hug it out and they keep going and it just kind of the quality when you're watching a game live I think doesn't get translated in the way that it does if you're at home on a TV and you can see the tactical camps and you can see all the things that makes Spain so ridiculously good but to be there for Argentina England it was wild that the national anthems came on for England first and Argentina whistled the entire thing and you couldn't hear the PA you couldn't hear anything you're just like oh man this is like wrong this is crazy so then the English fans were like oh okay that's how we're gonna do it and then they booed the entire anthem and then it just created this atmosphere from the first minute that you're like okay one of these two teams is out you know I know there's the third place game but like in their dream of winning the world cup one of these two teams both massive national teams has to go home and that was the first time that I had felt because I had went to Spain Belgium Portugal I mean Spain Portugal and it didn't you know you're used to like going to a big club environment you're like okay there's an intensity here this Darby is like there's a hundred years of like history that's sometimes like geopolitical it's it's it's religious it's a lot of these things that you know create this dynamic over over a century but to feel that game I was like okay this feels like a world cup I had been in the fanzones I had seen these things I had experienced the American fans I'd gotten a chance to see all of those things but that to me was like probably the culmination of like oh this is real and it's ending soon and you can feel that it's ending even sooner for teams in this match but I honestly U.S. soccerhouse was one of my favorite things to do to be there to experience people culminating in a single place and I think that was my biggest concern with a call it a distributed world cup across three nations in so many cities there was no real one central hub that Qatar had that when I went to France in 2019 had mostly in Paris and then shifted to Leone after that and then same thing with Russia was mostly in Moscow this was like where am I going to feel that energy and that U.S. soccerhouse I thought was even when the U.S. wasn't playing just a culmination of people traveling through and experiencing that and that was another part that I really liked as well what about what about you what would what would what would be your moment or I guess I don't know biggest moment or defining moment from this world cup you know mine has everything to kind of do with the fans I loved hearing the stories of all of these international fans coming to the United States discovering ranch trying to ship at home getting shut down from shipping at home getting lost in the middle of Tennessee and the person that works at their hotel literally gives them a ride in their own personal car to wherever they need to end up going all of these travelers going to cities that they probably wouldn't have picked as a tourist but they're going there because they're national teams playing there and then they get to see this new part of our country and understand how multicultural how different each different part or each different city is and seeing all of that kind of live online because I do think that there is this overwhelming idea of what U.S.A. is like right now and for a lot of things politically they're right but the the normal people that live here the ones that are just doing waking up doing their jobs taking their dogs out for walks every day are pretty normal and seeing those normal people interact with all of these people coming in and getting to understand you know where they're coming from bonding around this game and creating a new community which hopefully will unite us in some probably pretty hard years that are going to be coming up that to me was my favorite part of this woke up and we got to see it all taking place on home soil yeah can I just like I remember I don't know how to be 15 years ago or something I don't know if it was Robert Pires or another footballer was going to come to the U.S. and his offer was from Philadelphia and he's like who would want to go to Philadelphia right like because if you're a player coming from Europe you're like L.A. Miami New York and at the time L.A. New York and maybe you knew Chicago but then you realize like how many one big cities we have diverse cities we have that have so much incredible culture food entertainment unique histories and those are in just the cities alone right and so it's hard to like to then be able to go into places that you know would be very unique for most people like you said whether that's a Kansas City or you're traveling through people were doing road trips it just gives a completely different flavor and to see again the U.S. by and large beyond their I wouldn't say best behavior as opposed to worst behavior but just showing the true sides that that make this country such a wonderful place in the way that we know it and want to know it that is a really bright spot for me considering everything coming in was like be careful what cities you go into and like you know all of the like you know visas for people to come in and you don't want to go to this place or that place or be careful and they have people just kind of be able to move out freely and enjoy it at least in the way that we've seen it online I think is a great thing agreed and it makes me pretty excited for the 2031 fingers crossed world cup women's world cup in in the United States as well but I do want to go back to the U.S. men's national team and this will be kind of a hard question answer but I've been thinking about it a lot because for the first time it felt like there was real belief behind this U.S. men's national team that we haven't felt at other world cups. Talk to me about this turning point I guess for fans and did the team kind of live up to that faith that our supporters had in it? Yeah I'll start with the end right so going out against Belgium in the way that the men's national team did I thought was really poor because it was an off day from everybody it was off tactically it was off technically from everybody individual performances collective performances showed no progress from what we'd seen in the past but if you were to put all of that into like an averaging and you look at the way we played in the group stages you look at the way that we played against against Bosnia and Herzegovina there is huge progress right the metrics of duels one owning sections of the field controlling the game with tempo slowing the game down with possession the belief that when we're in and around the box we have the quality to finish a good chance where you know we're under pressure six seven passes out to the outside and that's delivered perfectly and then the final ball is delivered perfectly to put us in a spot that was the first time I've ever felt that that wasn't like as you and I know momentum of a game right where you're leaning on a team and you're like okay we need to take advantage of this moment these were extended periods and extended sequences that I think we had never seen before and when I think about dreaming big the US women have always been dominant right since since the beginning of us starting to follow and so you saw a lead up that was dominant and you would probably feel differently in terms of periods of turmoil and things like that but generally the expectation was met forever right and anything less than winning is considered some version of falling short of goals and so we saw that consistently for decades with the women's team with the men we've always seen the roller coaster of Evan flow of who were the next players in who's going out what are the performances leading up to this world cup we had two friendlies where you're like oh no this could be bad to then a couple of friendlies where you're like oh this could be good and so to see that in official competition and have it play out in the areas that I think you can really measure progress I think we're we're much more ahead than I think we were coming in and even though we dreamed bigger than what we achieved I still think there was a significant amount of progress not just in how the team did and performed but also belief that these players aren't just you know you're never going to a tournament even if you're the underdog not thinking that you can win right that's the goal you have to almost like have an absurd mindset and that's what makes you professional athletes that what makes you you know dream and strive to be bigger but I think there's a different belief in these players that like we can compete we can we can actually be in control of games like we're not going to go out against a Bosnia and just sit back and hope for the best and get our one or two chances we're going to actually take it to them we're going to force them to adjust and to do that in official competition that wasn't just built around the original DNA of you know fighting mentality and fighting spirit that we kind of judge the national men's national team on for so long to see that actually come to life I think is a massive massive win and a huge step forward in progress as well as again the belief that we are in the right direction and can compete with some of the better teams in the world I want to move on from that because I do think that the US men's national team has a lot to look forward to we learned a lot from this World Cup and something really fun I don't know if you know this is that recently the US men's national team just announced that they will play four matches in places that were not host cities for the summer's World Cup why are matches like this ones in Orlando uh St. Louis in Arizona and St. Paul why is it important for the men's national team to have games in these different places well for a number of reasons one I think accessibility is a big part of this right the US men's national team inspired I think the next generation to see and feel and experience something unique but you and I were in host cities by and large right we spent time around that hub and that energy and what I had heard from people uh that uh actually not from people from players that soldier field in Chicago before the World Cup felt like a World Cup game in terms of the intensity that city knew it wasn't getting any games and they showed up right and they supported and it feels massive and so for your when you're a player and you feel that you've got it's not just like in the you know they're you know in the hubs of cities that you're used to playing and to know that you've got that type of support but also just building the fan base giving people accessibility to fall in love with these players to fall in love with the men to fall in love with the women to fall in love with our youth national teams for whatever reason brings them in I think is hugely important we've seen Mexico shift a lot of their games to the US now right that's a lot of commercial reasons and the ability to sell and things like that but for the US to go into non markets I think is almost in a way thank you and open-mindedness to be a new markets that isn't just presuming that fans live in these you know in the the however many host cities there were in the US and not outside of that and we need that right we need that accessibility the sport people need to have that touchpoint with with our teams to to experience in a unique place so that you know when they hear about all the things that maybe they didn't have a chance to because of affordability of the world cup they now have a chance to maybe in a more realistic way experience this team and bring their kids and bring their friends that hopefully grows the fan base into a much larger size as we look at 2031 as you mentioned and being able to to to support our national teams now he I feel like we could talk about the US men's national team for the entire time that we go you're on the show but I do want to move on to you and your career and things that you're interested in so I want to ask a little bit about being a left back because we do have that in common besides being completely underrated what's the hardest part of being a left back you know I think the the modern left back position as we know it is hard because you are and always will be a defender first however you're meant to have speed you're meant to have a good final ball you're meant to have good passing range you're meant to cover a lot of ground and so I think there are just certain attributes to it now where even when I was starting playing you still had back fours where like your full backs were you know back and they kind of ventured forward now depending on the system if you build with three or you build with two or you have a midfielder drop off you have to have a different level of capabilities that are contributing into the attack and so I would say for me based on towards the end of my career it's just the amount of running it was a lot of running you know I started to play center back towards the end of my career after all the surgeries and stuff where I'm like hey this feels better you know chase the guy down get the ball maybe get to start at the possession but I don't then have to turn around after winning this ball pass it and then sprint back up the field so I think the change of the constant change of pace the high intensity running definitely the hardest part what I mean what do you think is the hardest part of that position I always felt that the hardest part was that you are meant to be part of the buildup you are meant to be with the other players in the back line setting the play to be able to break lines go forward and attack from like a really good position but it's not a great place for you to be stuck you know you can see everybody on the field but you have a sideline right here you don't have anyone behind you and it's kind of easy to like trap that person on the sidelines they always try and set the trap on the outside back if they're going to do some high pressure situations especially in the women's game so sometimes my outside backs would pass me into traps and I would get pretty upset about them I'm like it's clear they're coming to get me yeah you're not right by the way you have finite angles to solve right and most other positions have you know call it you know almost double the amount of angles to solve a problem and so like you said most teams now will wait to trigger their press on a lateral ball where your answers are maybe a jammed ball inside maybe it's a pass back or it's a long switch but generally that's where the game collapses is in your ability to solve problems which is why I respect certain defenders that have you know a Serginio desks that has the ability to take that press and go I'm going to slip past that first guy and once I do we've now left them in a bit of chaos and now I'm head up and the next player who steps out means that I've got a player who's going to pop off their shoulder to release or if they don't I can I can drive the ball and so I think those skill sets are ones that I wish I would have become a left back earlier in my career and not when I started playing professionally so that you know I remember being in Germany playing against an 18 year old competing for my spot when I was 22 and I was like this guy has played this since he was like 14 he knows how to solve all these problems like every time somebody was under because you know he's competing with me so I'm like I hope this guy sucks you know I hope this guy can't complete a pass they put him under pressure one way and he'd slip out and find the answer they put him under pressure the other way and I was like man I need thousands and thousands of these reps under pressure to know based on any given system where I'm going to solve for this type of pressure so I'm not just lumping it long and then everybody yells at me to keep the ball exactly it does seem like the type of position in the past where they would just take players that are like oh they could probably do well here and put them in and then just like see what happens and sometimes it sticks like with us and then sometimes it doesn't so it's nice as he players like desks and Freeman actually train there from like a younger like younger age and kind of grow into it as opposed to just being you know just tossed into the fire that's why and that's why I got that's why I traded so many times is because they were like we could just we could put a traffic cone there you know put a trap the trade get get rid of him we'll just put a traffic cone there like we don't no one needs to value that position yeah exactly and I that's what I'm saying I feel like it's a very underrated spot especially now as we're asked and these players are asked to do so many more things it's almost like you have to be a 10 out as an outside back position because you're play making so much now or at least that's what I thought in my head I'm like oh I love being a 10 I'm just what even like best 11 selections all star selections they they rarely will put two fullbacks in it right they'll go with the back three so that they can put more of the exciting positions and we're like well we're gonna call it a we're gonna have landed Donovan as a wingback in this all star in this all star team type of thing you know we're like well that's not his position but you got to get everybody on the field that's exciting and they just start taking out the ones anything we have we have all full right to to to feel traumatized by that by the way exactly that's so messed up and honestly I'm still working through it take time time will hill or it won't but either way um you know we have our reasons for for uh feeling you're unfairly treated especially on the left side by the way oh great yeah totally agree I'm glad I'm glad you did uh bring this up because I do think they're just like sometimes in soccer that are hard right like it's such an amazing sport with so many highs and there's a lot of lows too and you have to like be able to go through them if you want to have a long career like you did and sometimes I found that this media role is actually pretty hard because you have to bring up difficult things for guests to talk about and it can be kind of hard to be um like delicate with that because you don't want to hurt their feelings but you also want them to feel comfortable and be able to be honest with you I just asked Sam US two weeks ago about her medical retirement and you know it's just part of the role but it can be difficult to actually talk to somebody about that and I guess all of that to say you I wanted to ask you about something hard you missed out on two World Cups and you were on the provisional roster for both of them but didn't end up going in the end I missed out on the 2011 World Cup and the 2019 World Cup so I kind of understand where you're coming from here does that still bother you is that something that shaped you in the rest of your career I definitely shaped me I mean I was always driven like I ended up retiring when I was 30 or 31 because for me it wasn't necessarily playing in the national team it was to be able to be able to believe that I'm playing at that level that would drive me right and that was just like the bar and when I felt like I was so far from that then I looked within myself and said is this something I really want to do for another six seven years with the pain that I'm feeling or do I want to start something new and so I think those things are shaped by moments that happen throughout your career and I think more specifically 2010 that was a tough one uh I remember the day after and then I'll answer your question the day after I flew to Chicago um after I was told I wasn't going to South Africa and my coach was like hey obviously this is a big deal so we'll start you on the bench and I was like oh that was nice but you know all you really want to do is keep playing and I remembered half time he was like hey go warm up behind the goal you're going to come in and I remember uh at Toyota Park there is like a I don't know whether I don't remember this specific size what four rows to ten rows of bleachers behind the goal not like a stadium end and I remember there's probably 50 people in there and I'm warming up back and forth and then the chant us reject starts and I remember thinking to myself it's one thing you know when you're down and out it's another thing to like like in a section where there's only 50 people like I can see who's saying you know like I can literally see it on their mouths and I remember that hitting me really hard and being like man it's never it's never enough is it you know I'm like trying whatever and I remember that not really bothering me because I kind of laughed it off but as a story of it doesn't really matter how far you go you've got to find a way to be one grateful and two recognize that me getting cut from a provisional roster was far greater than anything that I had ever even though I dreamed of it and I worked towards it imagined it right I got wanted to be a pro soccer player as soon as I played my first pro game and when I was in Copenhagen like then it became the next thing right and if I had gone to a World Cup and didn't play any matches then it would have been I can need to play a match in a World Cup right and and I feel like the way the athlete mindset works is that like you never really stop to take stock in things you do in some ways but in other ways that's a vulnerability so you're like onto the next thing onto the next thing onto the next thing and I learned that you know I it could have been that same with my playing career oh the Bundesliga okay well did you how many games did you play in the Bundesliga well how many you know did you go to the Premier League did you play in Champions League did you play in Europa League and that it just never really stops on like what you could have done in your career and that at a certain point you just have to make peace with the fact that like what what would have made the eight-year-old you happy the 10-year-old the 12-year-old even the 18-year-old me when I was going in freshman year of college coming off of a year out with a broken leg I was just happy to have a scholarship I was happy to be going to college right and then after one week in in training where I showed up late I had double hit flexor strain and then the next week after that I caught the pace of college soccer and I was like oh I'm gonna kill these guys I'm gonna kill everybody I'm gonna I'm gonna keep you know like and so like remembering like what you would have been thankful for when you had nothing I think is the part that I look back on and knowing that you'll never truly have peace beyond the fact that like you could have done more or if you would have done this thing different that could have happened or what could I have done differently that would have made me make that that 23-man roster other than the fact that they're 26-man rosters now or 26-person rosters now that maybe would have done it I can convince myself of that five subs now 26-person roster I would have made the 2010 World Cup there we go I've made peace it's gone I love that I mean that we just saw a whole evolution on the show we went I went from there's no peace to being like I've made peace yeah yeah exactly just invoice me a hundred dollars for this session you know I mean I love that for that healing work I love that because like honestly when you were talking through that I was thinking you know I have won a World Cup I did make best 11 in that World Cup and I still wanted to do more too like I wanted to go to the next World Cup I wanted to win the Olympics I wanted to win every league that I was in it's just kind of how an athlete is it doesn't matter how high you climb I feel like when it ends or when it doesn't go well there always is a little piece of you there's like that hurt mm-hmm but that's what drives you right that's what pushes you into those positions and you want a World Cup at that point you should be like hang it on the shelf I've got everything that I need in life but then you're constantly fighting right you're fighting for pay you're fighting for bonuses you're fighting for achievements you're fighting for personal growth and and you know I've asked so many people that have you know even the people that have won everything yeah Dax McCarty was the only one that looked at it and said you know of all the things that I've gotten to do of playing in the national team and whatever it was 18 19 year career in MLS and all the things that I got to be I cannot be unhappy with what I've done I'm I'm perfectly good with that but I think if I poke and prod him enough times I can get some of that out of him you know I can he was part of the 2018 cycle by the way that would have probably had him as a World Cup he's playing that Beckerman role and then yeah you know that whole thing you know melt it down and so maybe I can poke and prod him on that a little bit and make him regret not doing more like like I have to live with every day honestly heath please don't I feel like that's such a lovely story hearing about a person that is very content in their life leave him here he was so great he was so filled with gratitude and I was like oh wow so okay next question who move on I ain't getting nothing out of it oh that's amazing okay since retirement though you have dived headfirst into being a broadcaster and content creator you have your own show orange slices what drew you to content creation and like what are the best parts about it what drew me to it is I remember at one point I was playing with New York rebel and and one day I just gave more to the reporter you know I was just like just gonna engage more and then I don't remember who it was but he turned me I was like hey you should you should consider getting in the media right and at that point I never really thought about what I want to do next right because same thing like it's a distraction right if I think about what's next then that's gonna that means I'm not giving everything I have to what's now and that opened up a door for me to saying like okay maybe someday so the next time I did an interview I gave a little bit more and then I started to build a rapport with people in the media space that started to come to me for pre games and post games and things like that is somebody that they could engage with in a way that would create you know media that's valuable for people to watch or read and then I had an opportunity when my contract was up in Gothenburg and and I kind of waited against my soccer opportunities and I was like I'll give this a try and you know it's a new shelf life versus like a shelf life that's getting smaller and smaller even though I was you know in my early 30s and and took that chance and what I loved about it that was unique is that it gave me the same adrenaline as playing on the field right you prep prep prep especially for life type of things you prep prep prep and then kickoff happens and you can train all week and miss your first pass and then in your mind you just have a shocker for the game where you go okay I need to complete the next pass right I need to get into the game and same thing with broadcast media is that you prep prep prep and then the red light goes on and then you go then you can find your words and you forgotten everything and you can't swallow and all these things and you go I had this thing I wanted to say and it's gone and then you realize like that's that same fighter flight that you're in and and you got to figure out how to complete your next pass right so you simplify things or you do what you've done at times in your career where you go you know what for that bad pass I got to make a great pass and then you have another bad pass right and so it's the same thing and then I knew that when I laid in bed I it was back in like I want to say 2016 I was doing something with being sport and I remember laying in my bed after staring up at the sky or standing up the ceiling and and thinking like rethinking everything I said every word they came out of my mouth and I was like where do I know this from this feeling of like not being able to sleep not being able to relax and replaying everything in my head I was like oh yeah I just did that for my entire professional career lay in my bed after a game try to think of all the good things I did but it ended up in like a spiral of like even if you made one bad pass you like replaying the bad pass in your head over and over again I was like oh there's something to this that I could get the same level of adrenaline and feeling that I thought by and large would be gone if I stopped playing soccer and so that kind of drove me also just sucking at something really bad is really fun because the growth from sucking to sucking less is pretty quick whereas at towards the end of your soccer career right you're in such the minutia of improvements that like you want to strike the same ball a hundred times in a row perfectly and if you do it 90 you're like it's not good and you're trying to constantly improve whereas like sucking at something is great because you know the next day you're gonna suck a lot less and yeah that is a measurable growth I do think it's there is such joy to being a beginner because you don't put expectations on yourself of making the hundred out of a hundred passes you're just like oh that's what I could do let's see what I could do tomorrow it's exactly what you're saying there's just such joy and like trying something new and and being terrible at it and just being like oh that's not gonna ruin my day um and that's just like that that's so fun and I still feel like that about media I'm I still feel very new at it and very new to it so it is something that I I'm like oh I kind of sucked I'm gonna get better tomorrow and just like keep and I did feel like I I got better over those three live shows that we did together and by the end I was like oh man me either we get a pretty decent show this is this is kind of fun this was a good time isn't that fun isn't that such a nice feeling though because you're extreme what I mean for your playing career when other than like stress or nerves or anxiousness like when was the last time you felt insecure as a player you know like when you were all the time heath all the time no like in this way of feeling vulnerable to that point is like you know it's it's maybe the first your first day as a professional your first day at college your first day in a youth national team or in the full national team you get that feeling the first day it was my first day every time I came back from summer break or sorry winter break I was like oh yes I am a new kid again and I feel nervous now a meeting you get first days all the time and that's exactly which it's not a great feeling in real time but after the fact when you realize you can do hard things and you can get better then it's it's a great feeling I was first inspired at home to pursue my soccer dreams from my parents who really pushed us to express ourselves and try new things and put ourselves out there the next phase of that was having siblings I have an older brother any younger brother who both played the game so having a sport that required just a ball to go out and practice was a real confidence builder for me and then ultimately being able to play amongst my peers with friends at recess and things like that all of that came from the ability to play at home in a very simple way inspired by my parents who really pushed us to express ourselves in the only rule they had is if you start it you have to finish it and usually anytime I wanted to stop playing the game they pushed me to finish the season and then I loved it by the end of that season do your fans of your show have a nickname have you named them you know I don't because I do have a suggestion it might not work because I feel like this show is called orange slices and that calls for like kind of a youthful thought but I was thinking heathens the heathens this could be amazing I like that I like that yeah we had we had on my my when I was at Copa 90 before we had our social group was called the commies because they were in the comments section and it just took off and it just became a thing that we didn't start and it was like natural that somebody launched it and then everybody hashtag the commies and we couldn't control it no matter how much we tried to be like okay hold on guys like let's not like let's not like let's call ourselves something different it just took a world of its own but I like the heathens that's that's pretty that's pretty good I like that we're gonna have you on the show and then you can pitch the idea to them directly so I can pitch it or we're gonna have you on the show soon and then you're gonna you're gonna pitch the idea and and we'll we'll get that feedback but I think I think it's a shoe and so but I wanted to get a lot I wanted to steal I don't want to steal the idea do I need to make like a a five-slide PowerPoint yeah it doesn't have to be well designed you know you can throw okay perfect perfect I'll use Canva okay let's end here I know you have to go you're busy you got a huge media career to attend to yeah so I wanted to know during our live shows we did together the one thing that you talked about the most was your family and in particular your kids your face genuinely lit up when you were talking about your girls and I got to know what's the best part about being a girl dad I mean there's so many great things about it right now you know they're 10 eight and six it is great my 10 year old doesn't want to hang out with me as much anymore she's kind of rounding the corner to more friend first type stuff but but honestly I having my career in soccer and in very very almost introduced to a different side of personalities of of interests of hobbies of being guided into their world in a way that's so far different than mine granted they're still all the sports spaces that will enter them into that but to just experience something as everything that I knew plays no real value or weight on them has been probably the the best part of new sports new hobbies new interests seeing them grow every day seeing their personality shifts seeing the three girls have completely different ideas and thought processes and styles of communications and the way in which they receive information just having that around me all the time has been a massive blessing for my own growth like you know I'm full transparency I use my kids for personal growth you know every single day of the week to be like doesn't everybody okay yeah how can I that's why I had them you know but I'm paying for them so like it's a it's a it's an exchange but it's just been a lot of fun to be on this journey in a way with with three girls that you know I get to just learn and grow so much in a way that I didn't think was possible and yeah it's just I don't I don't have a single a single favorite thing other than you know the fact that like two of them are you know two of them are obsessed with soccer which I love but also not feeling like they've got to follow the journey that I'm on has been a really really cool thing I don't know if that has anything to do with I don't think that's anything to do with them being girls and and and me but it's just been a really fun exciting journey so far it does sound really fun and exciting and I can't wait to talk to you more about it because I feel like as they get older they're going to get you into stuff that you were never into before whether it's reality TV or something else it's going to have an overlap with some of my interests and we are going to be chatting all about it I just need to play some like golfer you know something that like as my body falls apart we can just tennis together you know I mean I'm all about tennis too I'll tell you they love golf they love swimming my middle one just when surfing the last few days with me and she loves it those are all things that I can see but tennis has been impossible I ask them every day and every day they look at me like I'm crazy so I'm working on it I'm working on it okay racket sports might be out but everything else is in thank you so much heat this has been a blast we could go on for hours and hours but I think we have to gut it here and hopefully I'll see you on your show soon count me in you're you're joining you've already committed to it thank you though all right thank you to heath and all of his heathens it's always a blast talking with heath we could have went on for hours believe me because I had prepared a lot of questions for that interview we did not even get to like three quarters of them I think that I need to have heath back on the show anyways okay where you are at the end here and that means always time for ask the pros sponsored by O'Reilly auto parts this is where you can ask me a question and I'll get back to you on the show which I do every week so please send your questions in I love getting them our first one comes from Brittany in LA okay Brittany wants to know US soccer just announced a really exciting slate of friendlies against Peru Chile, Mexico and Canada as a former national team player how valuable are these kinds of matches for building confidence and identity especially at the start of a new cycle okay these are men's national team matches just so everybody knows the USW and T's playing Spain in the fall but what's so exciting about these matches is that we're going to be playing two of the host countries that just were in the 2026 world cup with us in meco and the Canada I feel like because of that there's so much momentum behind these teams these countries we're pouring their hearts and souls into cheering for them and now we could get to play that and in the United States and it's going to be a lot of fun because I feel like these teams have fan bases that travel that live here that will show up that will make it hard for the United States and that's going to just be a fun environment so on top of us gaining a lot of experience playing these really high level national teams who will provide a kind of different look than playing a European team well it's going to be a lot of fun so I think everybody should definitely tune in for these it's it's a time to be able to look at Marie Soapuchotino and what he's thinking about for these next four years how he's looking into building this next team that's going to compete in the 2030 world cup I'm sure he's already thinking about it being strategic thinking about okay who's my core group of players and who are we going to open it up to I think a lot of questions will be asked in from these tournament rosters that we get to see and I think a lot of answers too we will get we'll see kind of what he's thinking about in terms of who he wants to take with him into the 2030 cycle and who maybe isn't going to make it he's also probably thinking about tactics how he wants to play and who which players are going to fit that best so let's see there are a lot of things to look forward to this okay thank you Brittany that was a great question let's move on to Thomas from Dallas all right Thomas Thomas wants to know after everything US soccer experience during the home world cup what's one positive that you think fans should be most excited about as both the men's and women's programs head into their next cycles okay two big things for me off the top of my head we have two of the best coaches in the world leading our national teams with a really really great group of young players on it I think with the experience of these coaches of these top coaches they're going to be able to cultivate and help these players grow into the potential that we all see in them because what does potential truly mean it means you ain't worth right now it means that you have a lot to grow into and a lot of players don't reach that potential that we all think that we see in them we can all name those players but with top coaching comes the experience of taking those players and helping them grow and becoming the person in the player that they want to be and on top of that now we have the resources US soccer is one of the best resourced federations in the world by signing these coaches you can definitely tell that it is a sign a signal to the rest of the world that we are investing in both sides of our senior national teams and I think that what we're going to see over these next two cycles is fantastic growth and huge strides being made and it will just be really fun to fall along and watch I am stoked for the 2027 women's world cup in Brazil hopefully I'll be heading down there whether it's in a work capacity or a fan capacity I know I'll be there I think it'll be a blast but let's just see thank you Brittany thank you Thomas excellent questions really thoughtful and I appreciate you reaching out and to all of our fans if you have a question for ask the pros drop our partners westwood one a DM on Instagram at westwood one sports and I'll see you next week on the rest of the part