Transcript of Previewing A "Sicko's Delight" Of Round Two Games | Morally Abhorrent (feat. Nick Verlaney) New

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Welcome everybody to Morally Abhorrent. What an amazing group of Matchday 1 games we've had. Stars have risen to the occasion, no doubt. All the big guns that you wanted to see perform at the highest levels— Mbappé, Harry Kane, Leo Messi— all that has come to fruition. And then there's Cristiano Ronaldo, who, uh, got some cardio in, but can we even call it that? I mean, I guess he, he got some jogging around and said it mostly looked like him cherry-picking at the top of the line. So Portugal's got some questions to answer here. Speaking of answering some questions, We got so much of this tournament left to go. Hugely pumped about that. And to break down Match Day 2 for all the groups, an old friend of mine, Nick Verlaney, from the London Is Blue podcast. If you're a Chelsea fan, you're well familiar with what Nick has done over the years, providing outstanding content for Chelsea fans the world over. And he knows a thing or two about the global game. So, Nick. Hello. Nick, welcome aboard. Glad to have you here. You ready to chew on some of these games?

I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to see you and so excited to dive into what could be a sicko's delight second round of matchdays because there are some really, really interesting ones in here, but a couple that are maybe a little off the cuff for the non-initiated.

And some really compelling storylines, especially with this format here with 8 third place finishers going through and some interesting results to close gaps towards the end of games, some goals that may have been forgotten are going to be things that we revisit. You never know when Jordan's one goal comes back into play. So with that being said, let's kick it on over to Group A, getting going today. Czechia, South Africa. Now South Africa had a listless performance. Czechia had a fun match. Um, at one of the sparsely attended matches, I guess, uh, early on in this tournament against, uh, South Korea. Czechia had their chances, probably feel like they left some points on the board, no doubt. South Africa, Czechia, this one's pretty clear, Nick. Czechia need to take all 3 here if they have hopes of advancing.

Yeah, for sure. This is a win or go home sort of situation for them. And really, I didn't think they looked too bad against South Korea. I think they, they will pick up these points and put themselves into contention for match day 3 in the group. The real interesting one, Mike, is, is Mexico and South Korea. I think that is just going to be a high-flying fun game.

Mexico-South Korea is the headliner for, uh, the first round of, uh, Match Week 2 games. Um, but most people, especially with the results of Match Day 1 for Mexico and South Korea, have those two teams advancing. There have been some interesting things going on inside of, uh, Group B though. I, I, not really what people expected. Draws around the group. A host nation that finally secured its first ever World Cup point, but probably feels like it was a disappointment. Bosnia, a pretty inspiring performance early on. Go ahead early. Clyde Larrin— Kyle Larrin brings Canada all the way back. But we have a surprising result in Match Week 1 between Qatar and Switzerland. This is a wide open group here. What are you telling me here about these two games?

Well, Canada has all the pressure, and I think it's gonna be really interesting to see what, what Jesse Marsh and his team do, whether they fold underneath that pressure or if they rise to the occasion. I think they will rise to the occasion. I actually rate them pretty highly, and Qatar just didn't look that great to me when they played Switzerland. I think Switzerland also didn't look like they have in previous Euro tournaments. Bosnia are just going to be bastard-coded bastards to play against. And I mean that with the most respect. I think they are going to be extremely difficult for every team in this group to play against. I think the question is, can they score enough goals? And I'm not sure they can.

Yeah. I'm not sure how many goals this group will have in Match Week 2. It seems as though this one's headed for a hotly contested Match Day 3 inside the group where everyone still has a chance. For Qatar to get that result, Hugely impressive, especially since, you know, Switzerland were the better side even though they came out relatively flat. And you gotta kill teams in this tournament. You play stupid games and you win stupid prizes. And Switzerland ended up dropping, uh, some valuable points here by kind of playing with their food. And now they're running up against an opponent that, you know, when they're rolling, it's tough to score against. Switzerland's really, I think, going to come to regret their performance against Qatar earlier on here, depending on how these knockout placements work out, they could be getting a really difficult matchup. And it's all because they, they kind of messed around a little bit in match week 1. We go over to a match that everybody's excited for— Christian Pulisic. It's not nothing, the, the calf injury. Nick, from covering Chelsea plenty, you, you know about this guy's soft tissue injury history. He's training on his own.

This, uh, I think what I'm most worried about is not even so much his availability for this match against Australia, is I know how these injuries tend to linger with this young player. I guess he's not even young anymore. He's been in our lives for about 10 years. I love how the United States came out and performed, and really the last few matches they've been a revelation, and Poach is doing such a great job of getting Christian in space. However, more opportunities for Christian in space means more opportunities for him to get hurt, and we've already seen that there. So what are your expectations headed into this match against Australia? And are you sharing in my concern about Pulisic's injury?

Yeah. Yes, for sure I am. You know, we've seen this story before as Chelsea fans, like, like you said. And look, calf injuries for a guy who relies on some explosiveness is, is not nothing. Like, even if he's out there, will he be the same? Will he be able to do the things that he wants to do? I'm not sure. I mean, I think it does open up some conversation about the formation setup, who might come in on that left wing if he's not fully fit or able to play 90 minutes. Is that Gio Reyna who gets a chance to, to do a run out after his extremely good goal? Does Poch choose to play with two strikers, for example, which would be a revelation at this tournament to see two strikers on the field together? Uh, does he just jam the midfield? I, I have no idea. Um, you know, you saw an incredibly confident looking US against Paraguay, uh, surprised the hell out of me. I'm sure it surprised the hell out of you the way they played, considering some of the recent performances. But, um, yeah, I think that is the major question mark, and we'll see, we'll see if they can come out with that same attitude.

Australia is not a team that I would want to play around with too much. They're tough, they're not overly skillful, but they have some ridiculous speed in behind. Their young goalscorer who played an extremely good match, uh, in Match Week 1 This is going to be really interesting, especially if he runs up against Tim Ream. That is a little scary.

I was also surprised at how athletic Australia looked in their attack. They got some spring to those guys up top, and it's going to be interesting to discover whether or not that was more about Australia or if Türkiye just came out super flat. I guess we'll find out a lot about Türkiye in their match against Paraguay. 2 teams have really disappointed that I, I expected to put in much better performances in their first match of this tournament. Uh, given how many teams are alive for that 3rd place, uh, advancement in this tournament, both teams got to approach this match as a must-win. I, I— hopefully that means we get a good match and, and some desperation, and 2 teams that typically don't like to take their chances start opening things up. But a very interesting match between these two nations, Nick.

Yeah, I just thought Turkey looks slow and lethargic and not, not what we've seen. I mean, they battered the United States at a friendly 2025 and they looked remarkably good. And I picked them to finish top of the group before the tournament started. So yeah, if they don't come out and play like I think we've seen them play before, you know, they, their time at this tournament might be over. And similarly for Paraguay, who, you know, did a remarkable job qualifying through CONMEBOL. I mean, this is no joke. They had some great results during qualifying and they just looked like they weren't excited to be there on Friday of last week. So they have a big job to do to try and see if they can figure out how to attack at all in this tournament. Maybe they'll rely on a set piece. We'll see.

Key for them, clearly, they cannot go down early. They ran up against a freight train. And once the United States had all that momentum behind them, the style that Badalay plays with, it's hard for them to stretch their attack given that they're so organized in the back. So we'll see what kind of gamesmanship the— that we see here. Maybe we get the exact opposite of, uh, what we're hoping for, and it's two teams that feel like they're still alive with a draw and they approach it cautious. I also was a little surprised at how slow Türkiye looked. Maybe opening jitters, who knows? But both these teams got to show us something. Over to Group C, and it seems as though for anybody that was doubting Morocco, they can go ahead and walk out the door because this party seems to be continuing for a team that is no longer a Cinderella. This team belongs with two very recent high-profile deep stretches into— I know in Africa one was not without controversy, but this is a golden—

Golden.

This is a golden generation for Morocco. They go up on Brazil. They don't look bashful at all about the stage. They don't look intimidated by the, the yellow shirts of Brazil. And quite honestly, Morocco's probably coming away saying, we, we probably should have won that match. They go up against, uh, you know, one of the nations that are stealing this tournament, uh, the, the incredible passion and support from the Scottish fans, uh, then the nation over. I mean, there are clusters of Scottish fans everywhere, even in towns that Scotland aren't playing in. They, they just want to come over here, drink our beer and party the night away. And we'll see if that emotion can help them get a result here. If they get a point against Morocco, go a long way to watching Scotland go into the knockout stages. I just don't know if they have enough, Nick.

Yeah, I don't think they're going to be able to beat Morocco. I do think they could hurt Morocco. I think this will be an incredibly physical match. I think you're going to see potentially a red card in this one. I think you're going to see the tackles flying in. Uh, you said this about Morocco, and I'll just repeat it. They, they are a top 10 team in the world. They are simply very good to watch. They are tough as nails. They do have a little bit of that steel to them, but moreover, they're incredibly skillful. Um, and not only do they have, you know, star players now that I think they can rely on who are playing some of the best clubs in the world, they just have a system that works for them. This is exactly what you look for in an international setup. Does the system get the best out of the talent? And it does. And they are very, very good. They, they outplayed Brazil in the first game pretty significantly for my tastes. And, uh, so yeah, I think this will be very difficult for Scotland, uh, but I, I do think, you know, there could be a little, uh, magic that happens for them.

Uh, but yeah, I would, I would pick Morocco if I were, if I were a betting man.

Well, speaking of Brazil, they need a get-right opponent in the worst way. And Maybe we'll look back at that first performance from Brazil and say they ran into a top-class team. I think you and I share in that opinion, but Brazil need to show some style points here, and Haiti's probably the opponent to do it against, even though I maintain that Haiti is a little underrated. We know how good they can be inside of CONCACAF, but this is an opportunity for Brazil to find a goal-scoring rhythm in this tournament. Uh, some, some disappointing efforts I think from that first match. But the good news, if you're Brazilian, is Vinícius, under the familiar style of Carlo Ancelotti, seems to be willing to take on the role of go out there and be the best player. What do you make of this Haiti-Brazil game?

Carlo has to find the balance of his team. I, I don't know what the midfield is doing. I think, you know, the fact that he made some selections that I think were controversial, to say the least. Like, we know that Brazil can attack. The question is, can they keep goals out of the back of the net, and I'm not 100% sure that they can. They will need their strongest midfield if they are going to, uh, go deep in this tournament. I think that Carlo has to figure that, that balance out. They will beat Haiti, I have no doubt about it. They're just a bigger, stronger, faster team, uh, than, than Haiti is. Although Haiti, one of the stories of the tournament coming in. I just question whether they will get the togetherness of a team that is made up of a lot of individuals. And we'll see. I mean, they're gonna have to prove it against Haiti. They're gonna have to prove it against Scotland. And then, you know, maybe they can, uh, do it in the knockouts.

Ancelotti is one of the, the managers, uh, one of the few managers on the planet that you kind of have to trust when he decides to leave somebody home. But we're Chelsea supporters, and I think João Pedro is somehow underrated. I was really disappointed for one, because I wanted to see the player at this stage in the World Cup wearing that yellow shirt. I think he should be starting, and for whatever reason he's being left home. Immediate regret by Ancelotti there?

Immediate regret.

Yeah, yeah.

Igor Thiago did great in the Premier League this season, there could be no doubt about it. I know the Brazilian fans were having none of that performance that he put forward the other day, but no, I mean, this— João Pedro had an incredible season at Chelsea, and you know, I, I think they're missing André Santos too in midfield. I selfishly say that as a Chelsea but I do think that he would add something, uh, dimension to this midfield that maybe they don't have right now.

What do you make of Endrick not playing? I know that there's some injury and you got to be worried about forming a narrative that he's there to save Brazil, but a high-end potential. He's a guy that could solve a lot of problems that we see plaguing this Brazilian team. If you're Ancelotti, do you pull that ripcord right now and you force a kid out there?

I don't think there's a better time than right now. I like— you're not going to do it in the knockout, surely. So if you're going to do it, now's the time. And, you know, I think you have to see what he can do. Um, you're not getting great performances out of Rafinha right now, for example. You're not, you know, getting a ton of striker performances out of Igor Thiago. These are, these are opportunities for, you know, Brazil's immense attacking bench. They have a crazy amount of attackers in this team to go do something and prove that they are, they're worthy of that, of that 6-star.

Over to Group E. Germany put up a lot of, a lot of goals against one of the better stories of the tournament, Curaçao. Ivory Coast and Ecuador, for a low-scoring match, it was a banger. I think they hit the word work a combined 4 or 5 times in that match. And I was— I, I kind of thought Ecuador was gonna win that match, and I came away really impressed, uh, with, uh, Côte d'Ivoire. This is a big-time match now. This is for the group. I think winner of this match goes on, wins this group, is in really great position to get a favorable draw going on, um, going forward in this tournament. What do you make of this match, and who do you think, uh, is a prime-time player?

Uh, Diamande. You have to look at Diamande. I mean, he, he lit it up. It was, it was just fascinating watching him absolutely destroy Encapié. I mean, Encapié, who is a good player for Ecuador, good player for Arsenal, you know, maybe isn't like a left back, but, you know, has facilitated that, that position before. He just smoked him. It was brutal, uh, to watch, and I felt bad for him. That is going to be the matchup if, if Diamande can do his thing, if he can have a great game and he can get a little bit of possession in forward areas for Ivory Coast, because, you know, Germany is going to put the onslaught on him from, from all their attackers as well. Like, if he can break through, they have a real chance in this game. They are a really, really gifted young team. The news came out today that there might be a little bit of a, a betting scandal within the group. Uh, I, I would— I hope that that's not real. Uh, but you know, we'll see. I, I think this is going to be a great game, uh, in the second round of matches.

I also think that Germany are maybe a little susceptible, uh, to, uh, being attacked along that back line, and Côte d'Ivoire certainly have some attackers that can, uh, make the most of those chances. Ecuador need to dominate against Curaçao. I have Ecuador going far in this tournament, but that was also predicated on the, the assumption that they would be able to get 3 points or at least a draw against Ivory Coast. So disappointing start for Ecuador, no real finish quality from some of their older attackers in that final third. They need to discover that form, they need to stop hitting the wood, so recalibrate a little bit. But they have a really good opponent here to find the back of the net.

Yeah. Awesome for Curaçao to get their goal in the tournament. I do think that's probably where the joy ends for them, unfortunately. And, you know, at least they'll have that moment. And I think that's great. I'm going to this game on Saturday. I'm really, really excited about it. My first World Cup game ever. So excited to see my boy Moises Caicedo tear it up. But your, your point about their attack is correct. They have not looked good in attack for some time. And I know Valencia has to be 97 years old at this point. I mean, we're, we're talking about a guy I've seen at almost every World Cup since I've been watching. So just, you know, can they figure out a little bit of rhythm moving forward? Does Caicedo have to move up and start shooting like we know he can do at Chelsea?

Yeah. Let's turn our attention to, I think one of the big surprises for me, and it turns out that Tunisia is just a total mess, was Sweden under Graham Potter. They had a lot of questions about which Sweden would turn up. And I wasn't really bullish on their chances here. And they shut me up pretty good against a team in Tunisia that Throughout qualifying, now maybe a bit of fool's gold, throughout qualifying they were stingy defensively. They, they don't concede goals and they conceded a boatload to Sweden. Did Graham Potter find a combination that works here or was this more about Tunisia than it was Sweden?

It's, it's a both thing. I thought that Sweden looked incredible despite Graham Potter wearing a cowboy hat in the lead up to this. You know, I really, I enjoyed watching them. I thought they, they look fluid. They, they looked kind of free of maybe some of the angst of them qualifying. Like, their qualification was obviously brutal and they didn't, you know, they probably shouldn't be here if not for some weirdness in the rules. But they took it to Tunisia. And Tunisia obviously now replacing their manager with a very seasoned World Cup manager. We'll see how they look in their match day 2 against Japan. But, uh, yeah, I think, I think this is going to be an interesting match and Sweden could very well be top of the group by the end of this matchup because I wasn't overly convinced by the Netherlands against Japan. I know Japan are a really tough matchup for a lot of different teams. They play their own very unique style. They, you know, weren't phenomenal for a lot of that game, but the Netherlands do look susceptible at the back.

Yeah, no doubt. And I, I think that Japan, as this tournament progresses, they're going to continue to win casual soccer fans over. I really love the style that they play. They're clinical, uh, their touch is brilliant. And I'm curious to see going up against Hervé Renard. I can't believe he's in this World Cup again. It's an incredible story. You got to assume they're going to go back to their identity of trying to be stingy. So let's see how Japan's precision game works against a team that is very clearly going to try to play some anti-football here. Uh, let's turn our attention over to Group G, uh, Belgium and Iran. This group provided, uh, a lot of fun, um, in their first, uh, match day. And Belgium-Iran— look, Belgium, very clearly not the same type of talent that we're used to seeing from them. And Iran, these are players that are seasoned. If you've been around these international competitions, you recognize a lot of these names. I'm sure they wish they got more from that match against New Zealand. That match was one of the more entertaining matches so far of this tournament. I know I don't sleep on Iran as a sporting nation, but they are going through some pretty difficult things with the uncertainty and the traveling restrictions that they have.

Belgium need all three here, but they better put forth their best effort because Iran is capable of being inspired, and when the momentum goes, they, they can be a tough out.

Yeah, I think, I think Iran are gonna win this game. I, I saw more out of them than I saw out of Belgium, and I think they are playing for, you know, for their country in a different way than maybe they expected to heading into this tournament. I was impressed with what I saw from their intensity and their running. And, you know, obviously they have, they have some quality up front too. So, you know, if you're Belgium, and you've been kind of lazily walking through the last couple major tournaments that you've been a part of, you're gonna be in for a fight in this one. And just, I don't know, I, I know Doku is great. I know they have phenomenal talent. I know De Bruyne can still deliver the final ball, Mike, but I just— I'm not seeing it.

Courtois, I thought, was also uncharacteristically shaky in that match against Egypt. Speaking of Egypt, now this was, uh, one of my favorite, uh, long shot bets pre-tournament was Egypt to end up winning this tournament. And I know there was plenty of questions about Egypt, but they have the result in match day 1 to put them in position to win this group. And again, you get a favorable draw as a group winner, you can go on a little run here. We expect them to dominate New Zealand.

Nope. Yeah, yeah, I, I do. Uh, I, I think the New Zealand story was a lot of fun for a match. I think they're gonna, they're gonna hit some, uh, some tougher moments now. And yeah, I think Egypt actually looked better than I anticipated them looking, uh, against Belgium. I thought that they they showed up in a way that I, I was maybe not expecting. Mo Salah didn't have the greatest year, and he's been their talisman for so long. So I was kind of intrigued to see that, that they're still playing with that intensity that we've seen from a, from a past AFCON champion multiple times over.

Group H is wide open with one of the more shocking results in World Cup history. Cape Verde with an improbable draw against Spain. Now Spain have a difficult opponent. I think Saudi Arabia proved in the tough conditions with a really pro-Uruguay crowd in Miami, that they, they found a way to get an important result for them in this group that is, again, like I said, wide open here. And I'm sure everyone's got a keen eye to see exactly how this group shakes out because Spain potentially in the round of 32 can have a big-time matchup against another marquee brand. Saudi Arabia, they're difficult. They got some athletes, they're, they're able to mark. And Spain need to be more clinical than they were. They were wasteful and really not at all impressive against, against Cape Verde. What do you make of that first performance? Are you ringing the alarms right now about their, their chances in this tournament? Or will we look back on this, say, the way that we did Argentina's performance against the aforementioned Saudi Arabia last tournament, where they dropped the result and then they end up finding their rhythm?

The amount of crap that I got from people who knew that I predicted Spain were going to win this tournament after the Cabo Verde game is, uh, is incredible. I think Spain will ultimately be fine. They're clearly not healthy, I think is probably the biggest concern. Lamine Yamal not, uh, not healthy, didn't start that game. They probably didn't think they needed him to, uh, but when he came on, it was so clear. Him and Nico Williams were both substitutes. When they came on, they just looked so different, and I expect Spain to, uh, to go through, uh, both, uh, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in the last match day and, and do their thing. But they did not look good. They— there was a lot of standing around in final third. There was not a whole lot of incisive passing. Obviously, you know, Cabo Verde's goalkeeper does have one of those magical moments in a tournament that we've seen, you know, the likes of Tim Howard have in the past. But, uh, yeah, I was, I was very surprised and pretty disappointed in their performance.

Uruguay grew into that match as it, as it went on against Saudi Arabia. Can we forecast that and extrapolate it out and say, all right, maybe under Bielsa now they're finding something? Maybe they didn't have the exact right combination of players out there, but this isn't the same generation. There were tons of questions about this Uruguay team entering this tournament, and Cabo Verde, they, they have an opportunity here now with that incredible result against Spain. To muddy it up and just, you know, get in another rock fight and limit the damage in these matches. Don't concede too much and then still be alive on the final match day of the group. I, I think Uruguay— look, they're not going to overlook, uh, Cape Verde because of what they did against Spain, no doubt, but I don't know if their keeper can replicate that performance. But they've got some athletes that can close some spaces in in a short amount of time here. I wouldn't be surprised if, uh, Uruguay gets a little nervous during this match.

Could you imagine? Can you imagine if they came away with 2 points out of those 2 matches, had a chance to play for it on the, on the third match day? That would be insane. Uh, I do think Uruguay is going to dominate this game, unfortunately. I, I think they, they did show some speed and some chaos, uh, against Saudi Arabia that I think will portend well for this matchup. I don't think it will portend as well against Spain, who are much more controlled and better on the ball. So I think Uruguay are going to be a weird team in this tournament. I think they are a matchup nightmare for some teams. I think they're very easy to play against for other teams. And I'll be interested to see if Bielsa ball can be successful at a World Cup. I'm not totally convinced, Mike.

Argentina, if you had questions about the reigning champs, they addressed them pretty definitively against Algeria, who I thought was going to be better. Yeah, quite honestly, they seem to be a one-man show there. I thought there were opportunities on the right side of the field for them to go at some lesser experienced players for Argentina, and they didn't really seem up for the challenge there. Argentina individually, outside of Messi, there are players that have kind of been having really puzzling seasons. Rodrigo de Paul, Mac Allister, guys that you thought would ride the momentum of this World Cup win and have success domestically. But Rodrigo de Paul.

Yeah.

Even though he came up with a dime, one of the dimes of the tournament thus far, has struggled this season for Inter Miami. This is a team though, when they get together, everyone knows exactly what their role is. They fit so well around Messi. They, they are an organized unit, and Messi is still at the talent level where if the plan is to let Messi be Messi, he will deliver in droves. Austria, we all think that they're going to advance in this group. I think this is a— a step up in competition from what we saw from Algeria, who I thought was relatively disappointing, taking nothing away from Argentina. Does Messi keep it going here? Does he set the, the new record? He's tied with Miroslav Klose right now. Does he score in this match?

Yeah. Yes, he does. Uh, I think he probably gets 6 or 7 goals of this tournament. I, I just keep waiting for him to stop, and it's just not happening. And so it's, it's on me. It's on me for doing that. I'm I'm wrong. He was magical in Kansas City last night. The whole town was on fire, uh, with his performance. And yeah, I definitely look for Argentina to advance. I— your, your point about a lot of weird pieces for this Argentina team, when they get together, they just play some phenomenal football. And, you know, maybe Messi's a little bit lucky to escape a red card, uh, early in that match last night. Messi does get refereed differently than every other player, but You can't argue with the total team performance, and Algeria have a lot of work to do. They, they should be much better than, than they looked. And their goalkeeper, unfortunately, carries the name Zidane, did not perform like a Zidane, Mike.

No, he performed like a nepo baby that wasn't exactly qualified, that didn't put in the work to, to earn it. A pretty disappointing effort there. And yeah, if, if the shoe were on the other foot, quite literally, and that foul happened to Messi instead of Messi committing what was clear to me to be, uh, you know, a red card offense. Uh, it probably plays out that way, but, you know, Messi does get the benefit of a whistle, and FIFA conspiracy theorists or anti-Messi people still had something to hang their hat on, certainly not Cristiano Ronaldo's performance. So now all they have is conspiracy and controversy. Jordan, Algeria, for those that were able to stay up They saw a pretty fun match. Uh, Jordan still alive, uh, technically, even though they, they, they didn't get any points here. Algeria seems like they're ripe for the taking. This one to me, if you want to look at a juicy draw given how listless Algeria performed, I, I— do we take the draw here, Nick?

I, I think this is just gonna be a really interesting match. They both should play with the desperation, which is part of the fun of a World Cup. You have a terrible first result or you don't get your result that you want, you got to go into that second match just blood and thunder. And I would expect this to be highly contentious. I would expect there to be a good amount of physicality out there. I do think ultimately Algeria, I should say, have more to offer than what we saw from Jordan. But Jordan played better in the first round. So we'll see.

We all expect Mbappé to continue adding goals against the opponent in Iraq. That game not super interesting. The only thing that might be interesting is collective and individual performances. That, that is certainly a match that you put in your player props and you kick your feet up and you see the dollars roll on in. So we don't have to pay too much attention to that match as we all expect France to take all 3 points against Iraq and do it in style. However, we turn our attention to a really fascinating match, a match that Senegal desperately need here in this group. Remember, even if they don't come away with the top 2 finish, they'd be in line for, um, one of those 8 spots that go to 3rd place finishers. That late goal puts them at a goal differential deficit that, uh, probably is a little unjust because I didn't think Senegal were as bad in that match. Granted, France really found the rhythm late and there was a worldie from Mbappé, but it didn't seem fair that Senegal loss by the margin that they did. This is a great matchup. This should— this match should have plenty of goals in it.

I think Senegal take 3 points here, but I think everyone's done sleeping on Norway.

Yeah, this, this is the matchup of, of the second round for me. This is contrasting styles. This is dynamic athletes all over the pitch. Your point about Senegal, I thought they were great for 60 minutes. They, they really did look the part. They looked like they belonged you know, against a really good France team. And then look, your France did take over at the end. They absolutely did. Michael Olise got in the game. That was, that was a big problem. But if you're, if you're a Senegal player, you've got to go get something out of this. You gotta, you know, if you're Nico Jackson, you got to stay onside. For Sadio Mané, you gotta put in a goal. Maybe you get a penalty instead of giving one up. Uh, this is a really, really important game for Senegal, who I do think are a great team. I do think they would cause havoc in the, in the knockouts if they were to make it. Norway do look better and different than any Norway team I've, I've seen since I started watching soccer 20 years ago. And if you have the robot up top, Mike, anything is possible.

It is, it's just incredible to watch him do his thing.

Yeah, Norway's ability to whip in crosses, they, they have really talented, uh, passers on that team, especially, uh, on the wings. Those fullbacks can both net some assists, and Haaland's just so damn good in the air. He's going to have an athletic advantage even against the likes of Senegal there. For Senegal, I, I think— look, I, I coined the nickname for Nicholas Jackson, 'And Somehow,' because— and somehow he's always offside, and somehow he just missed, and somehow he didn't, he didn't score. Nicholas Jackson needs to tap in and find some consistency here. He needs to put forward a, a really good performance here for Senegal the rest of the way, because this— they're in a tricky spot given how France finished that match. All right, let's turn our attention to, uh, Group L. Um, England was spectacular. Uh, I was so impressed by the defensive performances of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Those guys look desperate to bring football home. And I'm a Thomas Tuchel guy. I love what he did with Chelsea. I think he's the right type of manager for this team. That's a right approach. I think his bets so far have paid off in terms of roster selection, even though a guy like Cole Palmer and Phil Foden have been left at home.

And those were certainly controversial. I think you got to roll with Tuchel. I think he excels in this type of format too, this type of elimination tournament. This is the type of mentality that England have been missing. Really impressed. And their leaders, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, leading by example. To me, the US— uh, that France showing you their ceiling, particularly in the last 10 minutes. Argentina showing you that they're, they're going to be right there in that conversation. Those were really impressive performances. But given the defensive effort from some of their, their marquee big-time stars, I, I came away thinking that England's a real threat here, and, uh, I expect them to roll against Ghana.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I, I think the confidence that Tuchel will give England— like, you know, maybe not been there, done that at a World Cup, but been there, done that in pretty big moments. And, you know, the intensity they played with was out of this world. I, I do think if they can keep up that intensity, they are going to be super difficult to play against. And You bring on the likes of Rashford at the end, who gets the final goal. There's tons of talent on the bench. The midfield is probably the only question I have. I don't know if Rice and Anderson are like World Cup-winning midfield. I think that would be the only thing that I would maybe caution against, but—

I was impressed with Anderson's motor towards the end of that. It seemed as though he was trying to, you know, reward Tuchel's faith in him by putting forth that extra effort and really uh, putting his cardio on the line there late in that game to show the people that, you know, he is going to be an effort guy. And I think that's what Tuchel wants.

And, and can Reece James stay healthy is the question. I mean, because if he is, he's just phenomenal. He's just a phenomenal footballer who can do so many different things to help England win. So, you know, that, that's the main thing. I do expect them to get through Ghana.

Uh, Portugal really disappointing. Um, Congo, uh, DR Congo, I thought they're going to look back and say, man, we were a little bit wasteful in that final third. We rushed some opportunities that we probably shouldn't have. Portugal, I think, was fortunate to actually come away with a point. The headline, um, the news cycle hasn't exactly caught up with us at time of record, but the main concern that I had about this Portugal team, and I don't mean to like Engagement bait, anybody?

You're gonna do it? You're gonna say—

No, I don't, I don't mean to do that. Like, my one question was, like, for Portugal was, is Cristiano Ronaldo going to muck this up? Because this is a really supremely talented Portugal team with some players that play the game the right way. They don't cheat the game. Um, they are so good. And is Ronaldo gonna, gonna screw this up? And I think one match in, I'm a little fearful that Ronaldo might be screwing this up now. Congo, I think a lot of people slept on them. They have some really good players and they were flying around that pitch. They were playing like their hair was on fire in the first, you know, the first quarter of that match. I thought Portugal was outclassing them. I don't know if they're completely healthy either, but this is a World Cup. You're going to be dealing with some kind of injuries. The more this thing rolls on, they certainly have the depth to overcome any kind of injuries there. The guys they brought into the game were ridiculously talented off the, off the bench. I still am a believer in Portugal, but I, I only believe because I think Roberto Martinez is going to figure out that CR7 is probably the guy holding this back and we're going to see less of them going forward.

Are you saying— I'm saying Cristiano Ronaldo would put his personal glory over the team? I just don't believe it. I, I could never see it coming. Yeah, he's got to sit. He can't move anymore. It's, it's, it's done. And, and, you know, I, I imagine that being in his position, seeing what Messi did last night and be trying to, to go at it too— I mean, he's close to the record as well. Like, there's all the incentive for him to want to play well, but they are at different stratospheres, right, in terms of their performance and what they're capable of doing. I think he's an interesting option off the bench if you need a little bit of inspiration, but surely can find a better flow, uh, with, with different personnel groupings. I also just think that Portugal get too comfortable. They just get too comfortable. They know their midfield is incredible. It's the best midfield at this World Cup by a mile. They, they just kind of feel like, oh, surely something will open up eventually. And they just looked lethargic a little bit. They looked like they were kind of not as aggressive maybe as I thought they'd be.

Uh, and yeah, they need to put Bruno Fernandes in a prime position to start scoring some goals, and I don't think that can happen with Cristiano there. We think you've seen enough body of work to do that. So yeah, I also picked Portugal to make the final against Spain. My picks look terrible right now, they look awful. Uh, so I'm disappointed with what I've seen from Portugal. Yes. Yeah, Cristiano looked like he was clogging things up for Bruno Fernandes, and, um, I also think they all look for him, they all are looking to pass to him, they all want to be the person that like he's like their new friend at the end of this. I don't think that he's gonna be able to do that in this tournament.

Yeah, I, I know that it— we live in a, in a Messi v Ronaldo world, and that discourse is still somehow around even though Messi, you know, did what he had to do the last World Cup. I think it's a little unfair. I'm always one of the, the rare guys that's like, I like them both. I, I'm so grateful that I got to live in this era where they both kind of dominated. I'm with you. I think that Ronaldo could offer something, an interesting option off the bench, depending on the type of game that you get into. I think, like, depending on the opponent, Ronaldo can still be serviceable. He, he still can be threatening. I, I just think you can't start with him out there. I think it was pretty clear how badly he was clogging things up, and he's always going to be tied to the hip to Messi. And we all assumed, because of the performance Mbappé had and Messi had, that Ronaldo was going to be itching to take a bunch of shots in this game and show the world that he still had it. To me, comparing Ronaldo to Messi seems unfair.

It's like comparing Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers to Tom Brady, right? They were great, they were contemporaries. Brady's the only guy that proved that he could maintain his elite status as he aged into the twilight of his career. He's really a statistical outlier. There, there's nobody that has aged at that position quite like him. And we've grown too accustomed to seeing people like Serena and LeBron—

LeBron.

And Tom Brady that we just assume that, all right, if you've ever been in that GOAT conversation, this is how you age. I know we're in uncharted territory when it comes to sports science, but I think it's a little unfair to, to hold Ronaldo up to such a standard. But for me, I haven't been— my whole thing with Ronaldo is just don't hold this team back. And he seemed like he was doing that. And they need to realize, and he needs to realize, that there is a golden opportunity here for his legacy to be cemented. The best thing that Ronaldo can do for his legacy is obviously win a World Cup. And I know he wants to be the reason that they do it, but dude, be a role player and be on that team. You'll forever be a World Cup champion. That was an ugly performance. He, he looked so old. He didn't look in sync with his teammates. He was forcing his way into passing lanes that weren't for him and quite honestly took a goal away from Portugal in that buildup when he tried to reach for that ball behind him, taking away a perfect opportunity from Bruno Fernandes.

Bruno Fernandes probably scores that ball, Nick. So I think that there is a lot of soul searching that needs to be done and one of the least self-aware people on the planet has a come-to-Jesus moment right now. Yeah. A huge inflection point for the Portugal program. They're going to be going up against Uzbekistan. Now, at time of recording, we have not seen Uzbekistan yet, but they're a cagey team. Fabio Cannavaro is their manager. They've had some injuries to some players of quality over there. I assume this is not the type of opponent that you want a get-right game against because they can be a little bit difficult to, to crack. And given what we saw from Portugal and how uneven they looked, I'm very curious to see how this match goes. For me, the million-dollar question is, what do we do with Ronaldo, Nick?

Ronaldo has two choices: either be a supportive captain role player and win a World Cup, which I think they really can do— they are supremely talented, they have all of the tools to do it— or make it about you, cause a mutiny, and the team goes home in the round of 16. I mean, I think those are your options. Like, I have no doubt they'll beat Uzbekistan, who is not bad, by the way. I think Uzbekistan is going to shock some people with how, how decent they are. But this group just became infinitely harder with DR Congo showing up the way that they did. And, you know, DR Congo against Colombia is going to be a phenomenal game. It's going to be some of the most athletic play that we've seen in this World Cup. Then Portugal, Colombia at the end for, for all the marbles in the group, likely. I mean, it is— this group is no joke. And I know that people were looking at the France group as, as maybe the group of death, and it still could be. I think both those groups are relatively level. I think the Portugal group just became that much harder today with the way that DR Congo played.

Yeah, I'm with you. Um, before we get to that Colombia-DR Congo match there they kind of stacked Group K and L on different days here. So let's talk about Panama, Croatia.

Okay.

Croatia, I think they were lucky to be in the game, honestly, against England, the way that they were playing. I was like, here comes zombie Croatia again. Every time I count this team out, they end up making a run to the semis or better. But as that match went on, they started to look their age a little bit. We knew that that was the, the book on them and that they always defy that. But England really stretched this team, and they're not going to be stretched the same way that Panama might. But we know from being CONCACAF fans that Panama— if you need a result against Panama, they don't always comply with that request. This could be a game where Panama ends up being the ones to finally put this generation out. I think I like Panama here. Granted, at time of recording, I haven't seen Panama play in this tournament yet. But going off of recent history and the respect that I have for that CONCACAF nation, be very careful here, Croatia.

Not, not a walkover game for sure. I do think, I do think Croatia will find a way. I, I agree that I think against like top-level competition, like I don't think they go deep in this tournament at all. But I do think they'll get out of group. And I think this will be the game where they kind of cement that status. I expect them to win and maybe, maybe do okay from like a goal diff perspective because they're going to need it. They're going to have to play with some desperation after, you know, having a -2 goal diff after Match Week 1. I think, you know, Panama and Ghana is going to be a fascinating matchup because you're looking at that as we're recording that. That game is, is on the horizon here. If, if there is a result in that game for either one of those teams, they're able to get a win, the amount of pressure on Croatia is going to be insane. And this golden generation that is clearly on its way, um, out is gonna have to see if they have that dig deep, one last ride mentality to try and make it.

Uh, if, if there's a real result in Ghana, Panama, watch out.

Yeah, no doubt. Now you mentioned how, uh, Colombia-Congo became one of the, uh, the more eagerly anticipated group matches of this tournament. I will be there. I will be in the building in Guadalajara for this atmosphere. And I came away really impressed with Congo. And I think supporters of DR Congo, like I said earlier, are going to look back at that Portugal performance and be like, man, we should have been a little bit more poised in the final third because there was another goal to be had over there. Portugal made some key defensive plays too, just getting a toe in the passing lanes that kept the game where it was. But Colombia in Mexico, in Guadalajara, a huge Latin American hub. Congo travels well. I think that this is going to be one of the atmospheres of the tournament and great athletes all over the field. Styles clash a little bit. Colombia can get you in a rock fight. Uh-huh. Um, but the emotion swelling behind both these nations, it sets up for a really interesting match. But also, as we project to match day 3 in this group, I was fearful that Portugal-Colombia in Miami was going to be relatively inconsequential.

That is not the case anymore. This is wide open. And can you imagine Ronaldo's legacy on the line in Miami against a heavily pro-Colombian crowd in Miami. One of the more anticipated matches ever just became that much bigger. But that's Match Week 3. We'll see what happens this coming week here in the greatest sporting spectacle the planet has to offer. Nick, uh, closing thoughts here from you on the tournament so far? I know, speaking for myself, I came into this, vibes were low, you know, ticket situation, uh, what's happening globally, um, our politics, um, the late-stage capitalism running rampant, corruption, everything morally abhorrent. And then the tournament started, and the vibes are better. And you see why this thing is so powerful, so beautiful. You have all these cultures coming together. Everybody has so much in common. The global game of soccer is a tie that binds everyone together. And once people started getting in this into this country and sharing their soccer culture with us and American culture now in some ways getting over with Europeans, although they don't throw up the fours when that last hydration break happens. They're not a big fan of finishing the game out strong.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how well this tournament is going, and I was hopeful that once the game started, we can put a lot of that nonsense behind us, and I don't think it's totally behind us. Yeah. But God, am I glad that this is going so much better than I feared it would.

Oh, yeah, I'm right there with you. I wrote a, I wrote a little op-ed before the tournament started going, hey, there's— I was anxious, I was nervous, I had a fair amount of reservation as— and this should be the time of my life, right? Like, I felt like this home World Cup when I'm at an age and at a, you know, a place financially where I could enjoy it and all that sort of stuff just didn't have what I expected it at the start, and I am so happy. One, there haven't been any incidents of violence yet. Knock on wood that that continues, that there aren't any crazy shenanigans that happen on that front. But two, I just— I love people coming together and experiencing each other's cultures and enjoying what the United States has to offer. And the amount of press that everyday Americans are doing for the PR of the United States of America when the PR for the United States of America is at an all-time low globally, that the, the fans in Lawrence, Kansas welcoming Algeria to a small college town that's 40 minutes away from me in Kansas City and having so much emotion built for those who can't make it from Algeria to come over, that there is this connection in the United States.

And it's a story of the tournament for me is, is the everyday American trying to go out of their way to make this tournament special. It's not the organizing body. It's not, you know, the government. It's the everyday person doing a phenomenal job. And, you know, for everyone who's hosting parties and tailgates and doing things that are beneficial, keep buying these weary travelers some beers. Keep having good vibes. Keep throwing great parties. The parties here in Kansas City are epic, and I'm really, really happy about that. I just— I hope it continues in this way and that there's a huge crescendo on the 19th July.

Very well said, Nick. Yeah, kudos to the American soccer fan that is, uh, taking up the responsibility to deliver where, uh, other entities have failed. And like Nick said, offer to buy people a beer. If they're Scottish, they will gladly accept, no doubt about that. Uh, but it's so great to go up in a pub and, and recognize different groups of people. When I was walking the streets of New York, I stumbled upon a bar that had Iranian fans watching and supporting their teams, and there was such a festive atmosphere and It was beautiful, especially given everything that's going on between the host nation and Iran, to see them being proud of the people wearing that shirt, proud to rep the country and what they aspire the country could turn into one day, or for whatever the country is right now. Uh, there are just so many beautiful moments across this nation of people that would never find themselves together that have been put together because the World Cup does that so well. And it's not FIFA that ends up making the magic. It's not your local government or your federal government that ends up making the magic.

It's these human interactions that happen at pubs and happen at games. And if I can stress something to you, I went to my very first World Cup game in MetLife Stadium. Now, MetLife, it's a disaster, right? It's in New Jersey. The public transportation stuff is well chronicled. I don't think the final should be there. But when you're in the stadium and you're high-fiving a perfect stranger that came across an ocean to be there in that moment with you, that's what life is all about. So if you have the means, or if you're considering making the sacrifice and you have the opportunity to catch one of these games live as a soccer fan, you don't know if we're ever going to get this opportunity ever again. That's why I'm going to Guadalajara. I want to soak up all these experiences I highly endorse doing it because the game is bringing people together, and these are the moments that you're going to remember forever. These are the moments that you're going to be sharing over the, uh, over a cold pint at the pub as you wait for Brighton-Chelsea to kick off, uh, at 8 AM Eastern.

Uh, Nick Verlaine, thank you for being my guest. Um, a big fan of you, and obviously the London Is Blue podcast is an all-timer for any Chelsea fan worldwide. Uh, keep doing the great stuff that you're doing. Thank you for joining us.

You're the man.