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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.
Hey guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.
Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but you know. Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.
Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. On Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.
Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hey, I'm Diana Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be?, I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to fupas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me, or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? Ha ha ha!
They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeart Podcast presents Soccer Moms.
So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hip since high school.
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Chapter 2: Can the Spurs mount a comeback after being down 3-2?
Everybody on the court for the Spurs took a shot before Wemby took one. And like, I'm sorry, but that can't happen. He didn't get on track early. Four of 15. I get it. You know, Hartenstein's gooning him up and you got Chet Holmgren stepping on his foot and yanking his arm. Like they're doing, they're pulling out all the tricks. And the Spurs take a tough loss. However, it's not over.
I'm not here to tell you it's over. Game six. I don't know if you guys are watching the lines. Spurs opened at two and a half. It's up to three and a half. All the sharp, big money is on San Antonio to bounce back. Zigzag theory, obviously. And then it will come down, if they win, to game seven. And that's where, you know, I don't expect Wembignano to put up a donut. Now, SGA's struggling.
We'll talk about him later.
Chapter 3: What are Jason McIntyre's thoughts on Victor Wembanyama's performance?
I know he ended with a, oh, he scored a lot of points, Jason. Eh, SGA's really struggling. We'll get to him later. I don't think it's over for the Spurs, but Wemby. You got to be better, my man. All right, let's move on to the USA soccer team. I am very excited for the World Cup. We are inside three weeks to go. I believe it is 16 days to USA Paraguay in the opener.
And the USA announced their roster yesterday. Not a lot of drama, right? I would have liked to have seen my guy Diego Luna make the team, but... You know, he's a great story over the last five years. There wasn't room. They've got a lot of attackers. I understand that. But when you look at the roster as we have it on the screen here, there really wasn't any drama.
This isn't like the NCAA tournament where how could you leave out the Minnesota Gophers? There's none of that here. OK, the England national roster. I know Colin cares deeply about England. They had massive controversy last week. USA, not a lot of controversy. The problem, of course, is that soccer fans nationwide are down on this team. Hey, they're 6,000 to one to win the World Cup.
They got no shot. Take a deep breath, okay? I'm that guy. A year ago. on this show who said, hey, I know the Knicks just lost to the Pacers. It was a brutal, brutal defeat in six. They had home court. How could they lose that? Let's not go for Giannis. Let's not go for KD. We're going to be fine. Trust the process. They replaced the coach, kept the roster. They're in the NBA finals.
I'm here to tell you guys, I'm a believer in this team. And it's not just the fanboy in me. I am a bit, I do like to nerd out around the World Cup. You know, I'm doing all these pics in my newsletter. And I really have been doing some granular detail. We're in excellent shape. So if I believe, you should. Here's our head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, about why you need to believe in this squad.
I think it's important to really believe. In that sport, the first thing is to believe and then to work really hard to try to earn what you want. And American people always is about to dream, is about to do the impossible.
And what I can tell to the fans, believe in that team and be with us and translate the energy that we need because I think to create that energy in between the team and the fans is going to help us to earn what we want.
Now, we have a couple soccer guests lined up this week. Maurice Adu will join us, final hour. Great guy, knows a lot about this USA team. I'm willing to come out and say, and I know Jason, you're too hot takesy this week. You said this is the greatest Knicks team ever. I stand by it. I think this is the best collection of talent we've ever had.
You know, I'm sure some people will dispute that, but folks, you look at the roster and where these guys are playing, it's not even close. We have an unbelievable team. Now, our star is in a bit of a funk, and there he is on the screen, Christian Pulisic. I get it. Sports are what have you done for me lately. And the USA national team in 2026 is 0-2. We got drubbed by Belgium, okay?
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Chapter 4: How does Jason McIntyre view the USMNT's chances in the upcoming World Cup?
By the way, do you buy the narrative about the small guards thing? I mean, Kyrie Irving, LeBron doesn't win in Cleveland without Kyrie. Isaiah Thomas, back before your time, obviously. Steph Curry, if we call him small. I just don't know that I buy that narrative. Do you, Al?
I honestly, I don't buy it. I mean, you know, it's a grain of salt because, you know, every team that's won a championship, you know, their point guards have usually been small, especially like when you think about back in the day. Right now, this era, you know, point guards and stuff are a lot bigger. But I don't really buy it.
I think that especially with this kid in particular, it doesn't matter who they put on them. They put bigger guards on them. They even put three men on them sometimes. and he still figures out a way to score and get a space where they're not even there. So I think if that is a thing, he is about to change that this season.
All right, let's go to Thunder and Spurs. This series is taking me off. I don't like the flopping by OKC. I'll start with this. Listen, I don't know how many floppers you played with, and I know that everybody, James Harden, flopping machine. Al, we've never seen anything like this. The night...
The game happens the next morning, like the top storyline is look at these 10 clips together of Jared McCain elbowing and then flopping and Caruso like it's getting annoying. I think it's a big issue for the league. I mean, you can't go on social media today and not see all these clips of, hey, they shot 31 free throws in the second quarter. What are the refs doing?
I don't know. I mean, I honestly feel like, you know, these referees, sometimes they feel a little bit of pressure when they're in the other teams on their home floor. You know, I feel like, you know, I call it the SGA whistle. I think he gets a whistle in Oklahoma. You know what I'm saying? I think it's just a natural thing. I think tomorrow night he won't get the same whistle.
The flopping is an issue. You know, some people might want to call it gaping. gamesmanship or whatever. But, you know, I think it's bad for the game, but that's how the refs ref it. So you got to use everything to your advantage. And if I can run into a player and fall down and get to the free throw line, and that's going to help my team win, I'm going to do it.
Yeah. Well, I'm sure you talk to a lot of former players, maybe even current players. What's their take on this? Is it a thing? Is it not a big deal? Harden was a flopper.
It's frustrating. We're all frustrated by it. But once again, like I said, when you think about it, roles reversed, and we were in that situation, and that's going to help me get 25 points a night, I'm going to do it. I think overall, when you think about older players, we all feel like the game is like... Not soft, I wanna call it soft because these kids are like uber talented.
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Chapter 5: What insights does Maurice Edu provide about the USMNT roster?
Come on. I have to. And then number two, where do you think he plays next year or do you think he retires?
All right, so my one is Michael Jeffrey Jordan, just for a lot of reasons. I've seen him kill my nicks so many times, and it's Michael Jeffrey Jordan. I wore the shoes, I'm bald like him still. Even Braun's bald like him now too. He didn't want to be what he is as well.
Not by choice, yeah.
I mean, he even wears 23, right? So, you know, whatever. That's a whole other story. And I think next year, he should try to find a way to end his career in Cleveland. I think with the way that the Cleveland Cavaliers is set up, with the team that's there, the fact that, you know, he's the ultimate facilitator guy, I think it would be a great fit for him.
And I think it would give him an opportunity to get to one last final before his career ends. But, you know, me knowing LeBron, I know he's going to want the farewell tour. He's going to want all the gifts and the rocking chairs and all that kind of stuff. There's no way he's retiring this offseason.
Interesting. So, wait, you think it's a good fit alongside two non-defenders in Mitchell and James Harden?
Yeah, because you got the big guys that can defend. You know... The defensive, the cure to defensive woes is, you know, is going to be tough. But I just think that in this league right now, defense isn't a focal point like it used to be back in the day. It is about outscoring teams. And I think you put those guys together, they can outscore some teams in the East for sure.
Right. LeBron playing for the league minimum next year, Al?
Not a chance in H-E double hockey sticks.
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Chapter 6: What are the concerns surrounding Christian Pulisic's current form?
We were second from exiting that tournament. Second, his goal makes us win the group and go on to the knockout rounds. Yeah. And then of course, the brutal result against Ghana, they scored like the 93rd minute. It was a great goal. But that World Cup was I mean, listen, all the World Cups for us are great. I think this one's going to be special. We're on the home turf.
The roster was announced yesterday. Not a lot of controversy. I referenced the England controversy last week. I'm sure you saw that. Holy cow. Oh, yeah. I didn't see any major omissions. I would have liked to see Diego Luna on the team. But I'm just curious, your thoughts on Pochettino's roster construction. Yeah, I think the biggest kind of noise that surrounded the roster was Diego Luna.
Diego Luna, Tanner Tessman. And to your point, when I did my little mock draft up, I actually had both of them on the roster. And a lot of these names were included there. I think the one that people talk about that has been included is Gio Reyna. He hasn't played a ton of minutes at the club level. But the thing about Gio is every time he plays for the national team, you see his talent.
You see the quality. You see the difference he can make. I actually had in my mock draft or mock-up lineup roster, I had Luna on the roster as well as Gio Reyna. So I just look at this and 10 defenders, it kind of speaks to me and says that tactically, we're going to probably play with three center backs because why else do you have that many defenders? But I'm optimistic.
I'm excited about this group and this World Cup. Yeah, were you surprised only four midfielders? I guess tactically, he's showing his hand a little bit, huh? Yeah, I was surprised. I thought we might have added another body in there. And if it wasn't going to be Tanner Tessman, then maybe a guy like Aiden Morris, who played incredibly well for Middlesbrough throughout the course of this season.
But yeah, that's where I feel like we might be a little bit light, a little bit thin there. One injury to, let's say, let me touch wood. I don't want to say his name, but our heartbeat of that midfield is what I will call him. Yes. And now we're scrambling a little bit. But listen, let's just put belief and trust in this team and this group. And hopefully we get that first win on June 12th.
Okay, so I'm with you. Belief, trust, all that. It's a little bit of a tough sell given what we've seen lately. I mean, you get smacked by Belgium. You get shut out by Portugal. You know, Pulisic hasn't scored since the ice age, basically.
I don't know.
Some fans, not me, some fans are like, oh, we got no shot. Can you put a positive spin on the recent struggles? I can't argue with facts. You know, their concerns are valid. Fans' concerns are valid, and that's fair. But what I would say is we have two big games coming up, first and foremost.
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Chapter 7: What strategies might the USMNT use against Paraguay?
You start the tournament off with a win, and it just sets the stage for you to grow throughout the course of the tournament. And more than anything else, it sets the stage for you to win your group. So I got to ask about this Paraguay matchup. So we smacked them in a friendly 5-1. We had a lot of our, you know, not A-team players on there.
They had most of their lineup, like 95% of their starters. And we crushed them. However, you start reading about strategy since then, and it sounds like they're going to go with a, we're just going to hunker back on defense and play for the tie. Go with a low block and not let anything past us. Do you anticipate a defensive struggle in this one? Well, what I would say is,
Oh, you're talking about the Uruguay game. The Paraguay game was 2-1. That was 2-1. It was a closer game. But what I would say to that point, you make a good point. Listen, our style of play, you would love to say our style of play is so defined and there's so much clarity on what it is. And at times it's not. We've had to adjust. We have to adapt to the opponent.
What can change and what has to be consistent is when we do press, that we're collectively pressing. The game that you're referencing against Uruguay, yeah, we were on the front foot. We played with a high tempo, a lot of energy, scored early, scored often, and got an incredible result. But every game's not going to play out that way.
And if Paraguay decides to sit back, that's when this group is going to really be tested. Because what we haven't seen consistently from them is... the ability to break down a little block. But listen, maybe this is why a Gio Reyna is on this roster. Why Alejandro Zendejas is on this roster.
To have more creative difference makers in the final third that can unlock doors against some of these difficult opponents that will sit in a little bit more. Yeah, the goal scoring for us, listen, this is always an issue at the World Cup. We know this. What's your best guess at what we do up front for roster-wise? So I'm anticipating us playing probably a 3-4-3.
So with three attackers, wingbacks in, let's say, Anthony Robinson, Sergino Dess, or a Tim Weah on the right-hand side. And then the attacking trio, I'm seeing Flo Baligan as the number nine, Christian underneath him. And now the other one is interesting because Weston McKinney has played higher up, but based on the personnel, I think he's going to be deeper alongside Tyler Adams.
And so I'd probably plug in maybe a Malik Tillman to compliment Christian as the creators underneath Flo Baligan. Some of the gambling odds, and I don't know how much you're watching this stuff, There's a little bit of money coming in on Paraguay. I just wonder, is it one of these games that you played in the World Cup, but at home it's going to be different? The crowd's going to be juiced up.
The stadium's going to be rocking. The whole country's watching. If we don't get one early, is that where it's like, uh-oh, we're in for a 0-0 heading into the 80th minute kind of deal? No, listen, well, the fans might feel that. And this is where it's so painful being a fan, right? And especially when you're a former player and now you're a fan because you have no control.
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Chapter 8: How has the USMNT roster changed leading up to the World Cup?
And here we are. They'll recognize the responsibility and the opportunity, and they're going to seize it, man. I'm sure of that. You did reference two upcoming friendly scrimmages, whatever you want to call them. I'm just curious, like, that's so close to the World Cup. A turned ankle, anything, puts a lot in jeopardy.
Talk me through the run-up matches you guys had in the week before your World Cup.
Now, how dare you?
How dare you introduce any kind of... No, but you're right. I get nervous thinking about this stuff. But you're right. And that actually, I'm glad you brought that up because for those guys who didn't make the roster, right? You got to still be locked in because to your point, all it takes is a little bit of a knock, an injury, something, God forbid, any of that happens.
But if that is the case, well, then a player is going to get replaced and your opportunity is going to suddenly appear. And are you ready for it? But these games are important because now that the roster is finalized, My hope is that, well, one, we get a result from one of these two games, as I mentioned before, to give this team confidence and momentum going into the tournament.
The other thing that has to happen is we have to see what our best 11 is. So now we get two games to see what our best 11 looks like for them to build and continue building on some chemistry, some cohesion, and just build all those things as we prepare for that first match against Paraguay. Two more. Let's go to Pulisic first.
I mean, listen, he's been on the struggle bus, whether it was AC Milan or with the U.S. national team. There's some questions, again, just fanboys. Hey, does he really work with Pochettino? What are you hearing? I don't know if you've talked to current players, but it definitely seems like he hasn't been in good form, shall I say. You know what? It's such a hard one to...
to really break down because a lot of people are saying he hasn't been in good form and they're going just based off of the fact that he hasn't scored. And that's fair. His position governs you scoring goals, getting assists, being the focal point in the attack. And I'm going to sound probably like the minority here when I say I'm not worried about Christian.
I'm not worried about Christian in the sense that Well, one, there's other attackers that are contributing that are playing at a high level. I mentioned the form that Weston McKinney has been in. Flo Balligan has been getting goals regularly. So there's other guys that can create and try to minimize or take away as much pressure that we place on him.
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