Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, hello everyone and welcome to a fresh edition of Football Americas. I'm Alexis Yunus alongside Hercules Gomez and Shaka Hislop and none of us could agree on a dress code. We've got three different outfits, three different vibes here today. I kind of went for winter chic. Herc went for, you know, just going to go out.
For hook. He went for hook. This is my old teammate.
I love that one.
My old teammate.
And then Shaka, I forced him to take off his blazer because it was giving wedding guest. And Shaka, you know we're chill on Football America.
I don't understand why a jacket means wedding guest.
If you look closely, you'll see his blazer just falling off the back of his chair. But anyways, we got a show to do. Indeed, we've got an exclusive interview with Flo Balogun. Our Julian Lorenz is finally doing some work, tracked him down, and was able to talk to him. Plus, remember we spoke about Chucky Lozano, Herc, and how he and San Diego FC are kind of over? Well...
It doesn't seem like he's going down without a fight. We'll talk about that later. Oh, boy.
Oh, there's a story there.
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Chapter 2: Why was Chris Richards named the USMNT Player of the Year?
He's had a hell of a year. He's had health issues in the past, which have prevented him from playing in World Cups. Most people forget, but they had Chris Richards. We had Chris Richards as a potential starter, if not the starter. alongside a trim ream, a Walker Zimmerman, insert center back here. It was supposed to be Chris Richards. Well, he's going to get that opportunity now.
He's clearly had the best year, both club-wise and with the national team, in a year where a lot of the regular starters or regular players that we are accustomed to seeing, so Mauricio Pochettino doesn't get upset with us, didn't play or feature much. This was just the obvious choice. So anybody else? And then we could have this segment. Chris Richards was the obvious choice.
Jack, I had to be done.
Fully agreed. Listen, I'm with a hook on this fully. It only becomes a debate to those people who rely on stats. And it's on the one hand, it's so good to see a defender getting some love for his performances. But so often these kinds of individual prizes go to strikers and midfielders because it's easy to quantify what they do in terms of goals and assists.
Defenders, did I say goalkeepers, far more difficult. Chris Richards has been the standout player defensively for the UN's men's national team. Given what Crystal Palace were able to do during the course of the year, for me, it makes perfect sense. It only becomes a debate. It only becomes you're not cool with it if you are asking for, well, how many goals and how many assists.
That's just not the game.
I mean, like I said, he got almost 50% of the vote, so it's really hard to argue they're close. Who would have been, Herc, who would have been a close second for you?
A close second? Well... I don't think there's a clear-cut close second because it's been so... Such as the gap. Well, not only the gap, because there is a big gap between Chris Richards and the rest, but just the difference in performances. It's been a very scattered performance. People are going with the last six friendlies and thinking, oh, look at the U.S. Men's National Team. We are rolling.
Do not forget about... the first ten, twelve games. Do not forget about this team being five and five. This is a situation where now we can see some very good things happening, but you've got to measure it throughout the year. And one of the only constants was Chris Richards. Chris Richards, and Shaq mentioned the stats, he had himself some goals this year and big goals.
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Chapter 3: What does Chris Richards' recognition mean for the US Men's National Team?
He played in 16 of those. He played in 16 of those. And if there's something Max Arvsten can give you, That's in the final third. He has the ability, one of the few players on this roster or in this pool, the ability to create something out of nothing in a 1v1 situation.
Serginio Dest is another one, maybe one or two other players, like a Christian Pulisic, maybe a Sendejas, maybe a Malik Tillman. But he clearly, down the left-hand side, is one of the few. And Anthony Robinson, I think, is smart enough. has the humility about him to recognize that he's not been part of this. There's been a process of Mauricio Pochettino, and he's hardly featured in it.
So if I'm Anthony Robinson, this is the mindset I need to take. Not that I want to take, that I need to take. I need to earn my position back.
Look, Anthony Robinson is saying all the right things. Understandably, he's an experienced professional at this point. But if he's 100% fit in the summer, He plays. I understand what you're saying. And I'm sure.
You and I think the same way. Absolutely. I just don't know if Mariso Pochettino speaks the same way.
I think Anthony Robinson is such a standout left back. Not just in the Premier League. In world football. That as good a job as Alston has done, he's not a better player than Anthony Robinson. So, as long as he's fit.
What sets him apart, do you think? Is it the more experience, the leadership?
Anthony? Yes. Anthony Robinson has a work rate like few wing backs in the game today. As good as he is going forward, he has the pace, he has a mentality about his defensive work as well. There aren't many wingbacks in the game who can play at both ends of the park as well as efficiently as Anthony Robinson. And this is well beyond a U.S. player pool I'm talking here.
I'm talking about left backs, wingbacks in the game today. He's 100% fit. I don't think that there's any question to it. But to Hicks' point, Mauricio Pochettino has continually said, nobody's place is guaranteed. You've got to show what you're worth. And Anthony Robinson is, well, one, both leaning into that. And as pros, you know that you do not write your own name in to start the game.
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Chapter 4: What recent news surrounds Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson?
get consistency. You know, we've been a bit unlucky with injuries and stuff. If we can get consistency within the team, I think we'll see the best of the coach and we'll see the best of us.
Is he asking you something a little bit different than Adi Herter used to do in terms of pressing, maybe the position that you can pick between the lines, stuff like that?
Yeah, I think he's asking, you know, different things. You know, he's allowing me to... to play more my natural style. He's making sure I'm in the right positions to score, to create chances, to assist my teammates. For me as a striker, I'm enjoying it. Also, Kevin Morales, his assistant, he's been really, really helpful.
After the games, we'll go through the chances and it's a lot more easier for me to be able to to perform when you're under two coaches who have both played also in their career. They understand what you're going through and they understand the game because they had the experiences. Talk to me about your season.
Are you happy right now? There's a really good run of form, big goals, as we mentioned, decisive goals, which is what you want. Are you happy or you still feel a little bit like, I need more, I need to do more, which is always your mentality, I know, but right now is a good time for you?
Yeah, you know, I've been at Monaco for three years, you know, and I'd say this has been one of my most consistent times, you know, playing a lot injury free. And yeah, I think As you said, I've scored decisive goals, so for me as a striker that's important. But for me, there's still that feeling. I still even reflect on the Tottenham game. There was a lot of chances I had.
If you score these goals, it allows you to be in a more comfortable position going into the final games. In this level of competition, you have to be ruthless. There's still that little bit more I want to do. We're halfway through the season. I still have expectations of myself. I would say I'm happy to be healthy, to be playing week in, week out, but definitely I want to achieve more.
We said this is a very important second half of the season for you, just to get that level that you want to reach. It's a big year, obviously, because there's a World Cup at the end. Are you allowed, do you allow yourself to think about it already? Or it feels long, long, long away?
A bit of both. A bit of both. In the beginning of the season, for me, I know how long a season is. You have so many games, you're playing in three or four competitions, so you don't really even have the...
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Chapter 5: How does Anthony Robinson plan to regain his spot on the USMNT?
the time to kind of think about it. But you know, I'm on social media like everybody else. I was there, I was scrolling maybe yesterday and I saw like it's less than five months away now. So when you see things like this, you know, you of course realise that it's coming close, but I said before, you know, this is my first World Cup, you know, it's in my country, you know, so I'm just excited.
I'm just, you know, I don't know what to expect. I'm speaking to the players, like, their experience of a World Cup and they just say, like, it's the most amazing feeling any footballer can have. So I'm looking forward to it, but I can't even have any expectations because I don't know what to expect. But, you know, at the same time,
The most important thing is to go into the World Cup in the right way. If you have a great season, then it becomes easier. If you're doubting yourself and you didn't achieve your goals, it's going to become harder.
What is it with this squad of US main national team players? How do you feel in that group? How do you feel the group is? It's a young group, it's a young squad with a lot of players playing a bit everywhere. Is it difficult or you've been together for quite a while now?
We've been together for a while, as you said we're a young squad and I think when I first came it was a bit difficult because we didn't really have that consistency but I think now you're seeing with Pochettino we're starting to have a bit more consistency. The last window was a strong performance against Uruguay and Paraguay.
So yeah, you know, that's also maybe the consistency we're looking here in Monaco, you know, when you start to get these, get the foundation. So I feel we have that now in the US. And yeah, you know, I'm looking forward to the competitions in March coming up and Just to be back with the team, everybody there is like a family.
As you said, when you're a young squad, you can easily relate to each other. It's a talented squad.
I guess the question then is expectation. What is the expectation for a young squad like this, a home World Cup? The Americans aim quite high usually in every sport because they're so used to winning in everything. Do you feel that pressure a bit?
I feel the pressure, you know, but, you know, pressure is the reason also I'm in this position. You know, you're not going to be in such a position where you don't get any pressure. So for me, it's, you know, it's something to embrace and something, you know, pressure can go two ways. If you do well under pressure, you know, you're congratulated and praised.
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