USMNT 0 - 2 JAPAN. ROG'S INSTANT REACTION

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers panicking whilst attempting to warn everyone not to panic. An insipid U.S. Men’s Team have just lost to Japan by 2-0. It could have been so much worse. On today’s Instant Reax Podcast, which just dropped, I said what I have long maintained, which is “Resist the urge to read too much into friendlies.” But 59 days until the World Cup, with just one more game to play before we kick off against Wales, even I am doubting that rule. Let’s break it down below.

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Zero shots on goal. A woeful performance in which no one looked good. No game plan was evident. Not a single outfield player seized the moment to deliver a performance that would have booked their seat on the plane to the World Cup. Yes, Christiano Pulisic was a late scratch with a knock in training, but his absence alone did not explain how the US proceeded to cough the ball up 54 times inside their own half in the first half alone. Think about that for a minute and it becomes almost impressive: That means they gave the ball away 1.2 times per minute. Unfathomable.

In his immediate post-match comments, Gregg Berhalter claimed the performance was “competitive,” noted the number of turnovers, and bemoaned the team’s lack of “personality.” I don’t know about you, but that framing worried me. Gregg is in a tough spot. This kind of performance cannot stand and cries out for change. The most obvious change in football revolves around tactics or personnel. The two areas which mean the finger points at the coach. Gregg’s decision to talk about “personality” flung the blame right back onto the players. These players, in this squad. Not the Pefoks, Brookses, Reams of fan-fiction.

When Gregg said “personality,” at first, I was honestly confounded. Did that mean Kevin Hart, Jim Gaffigan, and Billy Crystal are going to get last-minute call-ups for the Saudi Arabia game? What could he possibly be alluding to, because there was so much more than “personality” at play with that performance. Japan simply Gegenpressed, and the US could not live with it. Call it Greggenpressing. They simply wilted, giving up the ball over and over again. From minute one, Aaron Long at Centerback was erratic in his passing decisions, unsettling all those around him. Jesus Ferreira, the Number 9 we have been told “checks all the boxes,” blew a header, unmarked from close range. A miss so egregious, I swear the sound of Pefok’s laughter was audible all around the world. Brenden was kicked out of the game. Gio and LDLT looked like players who need match practice. At international level there is a thin line between desire to play ambitious, aggressive football and total chaos. This game tilted toward the latter, and the first-half adjustments that were clearly needed in-game were never implemented.

Without Matt Turner delivering a man of the match performance (that I hope ends the self-inflicted wound of the Goalkeeper QB controversy) the scoreline could have been so much worse. I am thrilled for Matt. His story is so inspiring. He and his family deserve every joy. In case you missed it, we dropped an American States United, Presented by ESPN+ Pod with Matt last month. LISTEN HERE.

b. What Now?

Tuesday’s game against Newcastle’s Parent Club, Saudi Arabia, is a last chance to change the narrative. Gregg is in a tough spot. Many of the favorites he has favored are failing him. The Pefok situation is utterly befuddling. The player has been publicly iced. To bring him into this window now feels impossible. We still do not understand why he is not on this roster. Gregg last hedged, “I don't want to insinuate that Jordan Pefok isn't helpful to us potentially. We continue to monitor players in the pool.” The double negative only adding to the confusion. A team that musters zero shots on target, has scored once on the road all year, yet has a striker who is finishing with true craft for the top of the table Bundesliga side… and he is not in our squad. It is almost unfathomable. When this has happened to US teams past, we have found out later that it was down to bad blood or bad chemistry with other members of the squad. Yet, we currently have no idea, and Pefok’s absence screams like an open wound on a phantom limb.

To better days ahead. Right now it feels like we are sailing wilfully towards an iceberg and unwilling to change course. Yet, the World Cup is a magical place. A world apart with its own ecosystem. In which heroes, never before spoken of, announce themselves to the world. One bounce of the ball, off a shin, bobbling into the corner of the net can change anything. Do not lose heart, American fans. There is so much potential and possibility in this US Player Pool. We are not deluding ourselves. This squad can create good football and national joy. As Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt would say: “Believe.”

2. The Rare Day MiB is not worst thing in American Football

i. Earlier this week, we dropped the latest in our series: American States United, Presented by ESPN+, which chronicles this nation's best and brightest playing in some of Europe's biggest leagues. And this week's episode was extra special. Because it came with a gent whose game we truly love and adore. The one and only Luca de la Torre. The Celta de Vigo midfielder discusses leaving sunny San Diego for the Fulham academy at the age of 15, what it meant to make his La Liga debut against European Champions Real Madrid, and how his resilience and tenacity have helped him navigate the road less taken. LISTEN HERE. American States United is presented by ESPN+. Sign up now at: espnplus.com/GFOP.

ii. Also, ahead of the game we went on AMP for a special Men in Blazers: Do it Live! USMNT preview with host of ESPN's "Fútbol Americas" and USMNT hero Herc Gomez. The conversation - which we released as a Podcast - is a peek at what a U.S. World Cup roster might look like, position by position. LISTEN HERE

iii. This weekend may be devoid of Premier League, but what a slate of NWSL games we have upon us as this proper bonkers campaign makes its way down the home stretch. And to prepare for it, we taped this week's episode of The Women's Game, Presented by Paramount+ with the one and only Midge Purce. Midge talks about how watching Sydney Leroux and Crystal Dunn inspired her in an American football landscape that is still incredibly homogenous; why she plays better when she's out there to entertain; and who is the best goalkeeper in the world right now. LISTEN HERE. And what an episode we have for you next week... very special installment with Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman. A conversation not to be missed. Drops next Thursday.

iv. We mentioned this week's NWSL games and it all kicks off on Paramount+ Saturday, Sept. 24 with North Carolina Courage vs. the aforementioned Mighty Midge Purce's Gotham FC at 7 p.m. ET. And Sunday is loaded with games that have seismic playoff implications. This is a league where first through eighth place are all separated by just seven points, people. Here's how Sunday... Sunday... Sunday looks:

• (1) Portland Thorns vs. (6) Chicago Red Stars - 4PM ET

• (5) Kansas City Current vs. (10) Washington Spirit - 5PM ET

• (9) Orlando Pride vs. (2) San Diego Wave - 7PM ET

• (7) Angel City FC vs. (11) Racing Louisville - 8PM ET

All of these games are where... Paramount+. Try one week free on us by going HERE.

And it's not just the NWSL that's on Paramount+. This season, they also have the Barclay's Women’s Super League as England rides its euphoric post-Euros wave. This weekend, it's only the Merseyside Derby. Rog said NOT in the face. It goes down Sunday at 1:45 p.m. ET, immediately after Chelsea vs. Manchester City on Paramount+. And Wednesday, a London Derby as Emma Hayes' defending champs take on West Ham at 2 p.m. ET. Remember the one week free we mentioned? Now seems like a pretty good time to try it... by going HERE.

🚨 NEW POD KLAXON: Also, coming up next week... the first taste of a project we've been working on with the GFOPs at "Pod Save America" and Crooked Media about how we can and should consume the upcoming 2022 World Cup. A tournament awarded corruptly, built on the back of migrant laborers toiling in horrific conditions, in a country with a shocking human rights record. Stay tuned to our Pod feed for more on "World Corrupt," a six-part Pod series from Men in Blazers and Crooked Media. 🚨

3. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. After months telling the media that their response to Qatar’s human rights abuses would be “more than a T-Shirt,” England unveil their plan, which is less than a T-Shirt.

ii. Germany becomes First Federation to speak out about the death of workers in Qatar.

iii. Having said that… big News: Holding Hands in Qatar will not be a crime.

iv. Everton become Bald Deniers. What the Brian Urlacher is this? Why did they not have this in place when Wayne Rooney came back? They would only have had to pay him in kind.

v. Great Football Jersey or Greatest Football Jersey?

vi. Who is new Brighton Boss? Roberto De Zerbi deep dive

vii. 15 Spanish Women’s Team players go on strike until their coach who has “affected their emotional and mental health” is removed. Awful story.

viii. Gareth Southgate is fighting a nonstop battle with English delusion. It's not just Gareth that's fighting that battle, tbf.

4. Not Football, and all the better for it

i. On this Earth Wind and Fire Day, remember "September" as a beautiful case of accidental magic. There are some songs that are played at every... single... wedding. "I've Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. "All-Star" by Smash Mouth. Most of them are awful. This is the rare exception.

ii. Film 101: Acronyms and Terms. WTF?

iii. Restaurant Reservation Culture Is Out of Control. Its out of control-ness is proved by the term "Restaurant Reservation Culture."

iv. The staying power of quiet quitting. Insert Everton joke here, haters.

v. R. Crumb Means Some Offense. One of those American artists who is spiritually French.

vi. Nick Cave’s second coming: At 65, the Australian singer-songwriter is more creatively alive than ever before. *third coming. No Peaky Blinders erasure will be tolerated in this house.

vii. The Queen’s Death Looks Different From Belfast. "This is how mythology works as part of nation-building; an entity comes to hold a certain meaning for a certain group of people, but for that group only."

viii. Everything You Could Possibly Want to Know About the Cheating Scandal Roiling the World of Chess. Anal beads chess cheating scandal is the kind of glorious mad libs sentence you would spend months trying to achieve as a child.

ix. The Bird Migration Explorer Lets You Interact With Nature’s Most Amazing Feat. Got sucked into an hour-long rabbit hole (bird hole?) with this last night.

x. In-Depth: How Brett Favre Secured $6 Million In Welfare Funds For A Volleyball Stadium. You had me at volleyball stadium.

xi. Travelers are slamming Airbnb chore lists that tell guests to mow the lawn, do the laundry, and take out the trash — on top of paying $125 cleaning fees. Two years from now this will be rebranded as a premium experience for people who want to feel like they're home with their parents for the weekend every time they go away and the NYT style section will write it up as the newest trend for millennials in search of structure.

xii. YouTube’s ‘Dislike’ Button Doesn’t Do What You Think. But on the other hand, the like button does exactly what you think it does. Wink.

xiii. Björk: Mother, Daughter, Force of Nature. In Iceland with the experimental pop icon, digging deep into triumphs and tragedies. World needs more Björk.

xiv. This song is incredible. The video has David Thewlis delivering one of his finest performances of the year. If you only have a moment, watch 2.10-3.09. And live your life by the ethos of those lyrics.

That is it for today. One final thing I could not be more excited about: Tomorrow, Arsenal will play Tottenham in the Women’s Super League (8.30 AM ET on Paramount+) and over 51,000 will be in attendance at the Emirates. Another astonishing moment in the women’s game in which the astonishing is becoming normalized.

Big Love.

Let’s Do Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Courage.

ROG