WORLD CUP JUST 16 DAYS AWAY

HAIL GFOP! I type with fatigued fingers buckling in the crucible of World Cup preparation

November 04, 2022

HAIL GFOP!

I type with fatigued fingers buckling in the crucible of World Cup preparation. This is one of the surrealest times I have had covering football. The Men’s World Cup – that crown jewel of global sporting - is so close we can almost touch it. Like millions around the world, I live my life for that tournament. As I often say, it has formed the spine of my life. Yet the glut of football that has been jerry-rigged and jammed together – in terms of league and European competition – to carve out time for this self-inflicted wound of a November World Cup schedule, has created a self-sabotaging wood through the trees situation. Once the squads are announced next week, there will be almost no time to prepare and pivot – both for the players as tactical sporting collectives, and for us fans, who have barely any breathing space to connect to the storylines of all that is to come. In warping football’s traditional calendar, FIFA have given us a World Cup with no emotional or physical runway. One which will appear out of nowhere, in its surreal, player-fatigued, politically complex, Gulf State-Fyre Festival reality.

More: I wrote this op-ed on the darkness of Qatar’s World Cup with Tommy Vietor for CNN: Let’s call out the Qatar World Cup for what it really is.

As a broadcaster attempting to cover those dual telenovelas, the Premier League and the Champions League, while simultaneously attempting to piece together the script for the Ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe that is the World Cup, is to go cross-eyed. I have rarely had more respect for Phil Collins' ability to drum and sing lead vocals at the same time.

It is the conversations we are having in this moment that keep us going. The clatter of high-stakes football makes for a lot of life. And so the time spent with guest after guest reflects a rich human reality. This week, three conversations have thrilled me. I taped the final episode of Go! Go! USA! with the mighty Brendan Hunt. I have loved taping the six episodes of this show. We tape late at night. We drink a lot of Scotch. And I have rarely laughed harder in my life. Talking about this cycle and Starbucks mug collections — I am not too proud to admit, I snotted up. We also taped with my personal NWSL MVP Lo LaBonta, the veteran player who has ground out a career for eight seasons out of the spotlight, and now had her breakout season, marking every moment with viral goal celebrations (watch her break down her viral sensation “Injured to Twerk”). The whole conversation was a reminder that life is hard, but when it rocks, celebrate every second with transcendent joy. Finally, Leeds’ Brenden Aaronson BLEW ME AWAY. A kid whose passion for football remains undimmed. If you want to feel optimistic about the World Cup, listen to him speak. It is astonishing how that 22-year-old is unfazed by all he is achieving. More, much more below.

Dress for World Cup Glory with our Umbro Stonewash Courage Collection 🇺🇸

Honored to unleash this Umbro magical limited-edition collab, Dreams of Glory Since 1994. The Double Diamond is the original football brand, so these beauties mean the world to us. We based the designs on the classic Umbro silhouettes from the 1994 Men's World Cup, reimaging them as stonewash kits and training gear for the USA. Shop the limited edition collection here.

Come and Raise a Pint with us and John Oliver 🍻🍻🍻

We are now just 12 days away from the start of the Men in Blazers "This Cup's For You" World Cup Tour. And what a show we have to kick things off. Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Terminal Five, right here in NYC, we will welcome none other than John Oliver to the stage to preview the buffet of footballing goodness that stretches out before us. John has appeared on Men in Blazers more than any other guest. And yet he has had the good judgment to never appear on stage with us. That all changes Nov. 15. And John's not the only Group B, A-list guest we have for you. Welsh King and legendary actor Matthew Rhys of "The Americans" fame will also be with us and promises to turn the Cymru Hype up to 11. New York, get your tickets for this show HERE. And after NYC, we hit the road. St. Louis, Philly, DC, Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, we're coming for you. Dates and ticket information is HERE.

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2. To the Football

The top note is this: There are always a cruel glut of injuries ahead of any major tournament, but the compressed schedule created to facilitate this one is grinding the players into pulp before our eyes. When teams like Tottenham have to jam nine games into 29 days, the athletes’ minds and bodies will be diminished. Injuries are bound to result. We have seen so many players limp off the field this week. Timo Werner, Heung-min Son, and Ben Chillwell are amongst those who have been knocked out of action. I fear the World Cup final may be Ronaldinho’s Brazil playing Jurgen Klinsmann’s Germany in a five-a-side format. It is insanely reckless to hold this tournament in November and contort the calendar into a helter-skelter madness to make it so.

i. Chelsea vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 7 AM ET, USA)

Before facing Arsenal, the team who dumped him, for the first time, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is guaranteed to have put the hours in at the training ground. Less on his football, more on landing the Triple Salchow celebration he is guaranteed to unleash if he can add to the paltry three goals in 11 appearances (all comps) he has made since returning from exile to Chelsea. Arsenal fans. I know. I know. You keep telling me you are chill that Gabriel Jesus has not scored in eight games, because he does so much hard work in all areas of the pitch. How loud will your roar be if he re-summons his goal-scoring touch in this one though?

More: Auba makes weird promo for BT Sports. Arteta will love this video. “I’m back, I’m Blue”

ii. Tottenham vs. Liverpool (Sunday, 11.30 AM ET, P’Cock)

Which Liverpool will show up? The team who beat Manchester City and Napoli? Or the one who wilted to defeat against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United? Team of Chaos. Spurs are a team of injuries. Sonny’s shattered eye socket has knocked him out alongside Richarlison, Romero, and Kulusevski. However, Spurs will draw strength from Wednesday’s victory in Marseille. Another come-from-behind win and, most significantly, the team failing to fling themselves on a banana skin in their vicinity, which is progress. Despite the frustration around their style of play, Antonio Conte’s team enter third in the league and into the knockout stages of the Champions League. Forget the process, savor the outcome.

iii. Aston Villa vs. Manchester United (Sunday, 9 AM ET, P’Cock)

Unai Emery’s Second Coming. After signing a four-and-a-half year deal, the longest managerial contract in Aston Villa's history, the wily tactician re-emerges like a Basque Liam Neeson, hellbent on vengeance against all those who once mocked him. Emery only started coaching on Wednesday, so deserves time after this tough first game against an ever-improving Manchester United collective, but when has football ever resisted the urge to laugh and offer anything but knee-jerk judgment?

iv. Manchester City vs. Fulham (Saturday, 11 AM ET, USA)

Will Haaland play? If he does not, Julián Álvarez will score. If he does not, 17-Year-Old Rico Lewis will. City are like footballing White Walkers, sweeping through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds. Bring the Dragonglass, Tim Ream.

v. Leeds vs. Bournemouth (Saturday, 11 AM ET, P’Cock)

After last weekend’s crescendo, will this be the elusive consistent performance or eternal anti-climax?

vi. Everton vs. Leicester City (Saturday, 1.30 PM ET, NBC Proper)

Brodge guaranteed to do us live on network TV. Not in the Face

3. WEEKEND in M… I… B…

i. Saturday, we release Episode 5 of World Corrupt, our mashup with Crooked Media's Tommy Vietor. It's our final episode before the tournament begins, and we look at how the football world has responded to the complexities of this Qatar World Cup, and offer a beacon of hope among the darkness (that's right... there is some HOPE!). If you've not started listening to this Podcast yet, we recommend you begin HERE.

More: Qatar Offered Fans Free World Cup Trips, but only on Its Terms. From the NYT's Tariq Panja as FIFA urges players to forget politics (after making the most political decision in the first place).

ii. Sunday, it's a Podcast intended to inject a shot of joy into your life. Episode 3 of Go! Go! USA! with Brendan Hunt, A Passionate Fans' History of American Men's Soccer. And in this episode, we put in our earplugs and hit the land of vuvuzelas. That is right, we are going to South Africa and talking USA 1 - 1 England, Bob Bradley and St. Landon's Algeria Moment. EPISODE 1, EPISODE 2.

iii. And if that's not enough Men in Blazers for your weekend, we are returning to television. Sunday, a new episode of the MiB TV Show hits Peacock. And our guest is none other than USMNT and Leeds United hero Tyler Adams. To be able to release this beauty, on the precipice of the World Cup, after Tyler has established himself as a bonafide Premier League midfield force, is something that we do not take for granted. Peacock. Sunday 🗣️🗣️🗣️

4. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. Dutch ref Danny Makkelie has a red card with his own face on it. Sent to us by an American referee, GFOP Derek Linn.

ii. Lovely, lovely feature on Ray Hudson. A man who is more a poet than a commentator. Up there with Slick Rick in that he does not take himself too seriously and has a lot of fun. I think of him as the Salvador Dali of commentating. Honor to be interviewed and allowed to pay tribute to Ray in this excellent piece.

Big news out of MiB World HQ, we've partnered up with those Bookmaking Monarchs at Draftkings for the world's biggest tournament. Download the Draftkings app and stay tuned in to our channels for exclusive offers and more. Gambling Problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369). If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be access by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes) /MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WY only. Void in ONT. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min. $5 pre-game moneyline bet. Bet must win. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/legal/nj-terms-of-use. Ends 11/20/22 at 11:59PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

5. MLS Cup Runneth Over

Some match-up. LAFC vs. Philadelphia Union (Saturday, 4 PM ET, FOX). Hollywood vs. Hoagie-Ville. An epic rumble between the league’s top two seeds. LAFC, led by our old friend Steve Cherundolo, will have the benefit of home advantage to exploit, and will revel in that delirious fan culture they have fostered around the club. I have an enormous soft spot for the Philadelphia Union, who have invested so smartly in their youth academy, and in the sage, humble leadership of Jim Curtin. Their team, a fusion of wise warriors like the great Ale Bedoya and young poets like Jack McGlynn, have faced challenges and rebounded from adversity with tenacity. Whether they can do it in that Banc of California bear pit will make for a delirious spectacle.

6. “Paul Carr Blows Your Mind… Said Paul Carr Blows Your Mind ”

Our weekly stats section in which Paul Carr, my numbers loving friend who is TruMedia’s Senior Director of Content, crunches his calculator.

🤯 With Chelsea advancing, Christian Pulisic will (assuming he plays) extend his own American record by appearing in a fifth UCL knockout stage. He’s already been in 17 UCL knockout-stage games, nearly triple any other U.S. international (DaMarcus Beasley with six), and his four UCL knockout-stage goals are more than all other U.S. internationals combined.

🤯 Gio Reyna turns 20 on Nov. 13, and he finishes his teenage years with 13 UEFA Champions League appearances, trailing only Pulisic (15) among American teens.

🤯 Despite playing two fewer games than most players on the leaderboard, the indefatigable Tyler Adams is atop the Premier League in distance run at a high speed this season, with nearly seven miles covered at 12+ MPH.

7. Men in Blazers’ Week That Was... and the week that will be

i. Monday, on The Men in Blazers Podcast, Rog and Davo salute Leeds United's massive upset of Liverpool at Anfield.

ii. Tuesday, we hit the continent for the final European matchday of 2022 and European Nights, Presented by Paramount+ with The New York Times Chief Soccer Correspondent Rory Smith. In this episode, we explored how Bayern grew from an imperfect but great team to the gravitational power they are today in the Bundesliga. Then, a trip to Marseille. Plus, we talkin' stews! You can try one week of Paramount+ on us, just by clicking HERE.

iii. Wednesday, it was a very special episode of Men in Blazers American Dreams with Brenden Aaronson, Presented by Budweiser. Medford Messi, Pork Roll Pele, Heat Map Jesus, Yank Badger, he of three lungs, a midfield force with a P-51 engine, and countless nicknames. Rog sat down with the Philadelphia Union academy product to talk his transition to Premier League life, World Cup Dreams, and whether he meant his cheeky no-look on his goal against Chelsea.

iv. Thursday, we released a bittersweet episode of The Women's Game, Presented by Paramount+. Our final episode of the season. But what a way to go out. With that bolt of joy, tenacity and creativity from NWSL Championship Runner Up KC Current, Lo LaBonta. What a human force Lo is, and we absolutely loved this conversation about a pro who struggled to define herself before breaking out in her eighth season and letting the world know with her famous twerking cele.

v. What a season of The Women's Game. Massive thanks to Producers Miranda Davis, Sophie Gayter, and Maura Gladys, who created something very special. Don't cry because the NWSL season is over, smile because we still have Barclay's Women's Super League to sustain us. Try one week of Paramount+ on us and take in this weekend's seismic matchups, all by clicking here.

🇺🇸 Heads Up: Next Thursday, we release Episode 7 of Tyler Adams: Road to the Cup, Powered by Volkswagen. Watch our Pod feed for that.

That's not the only Baby Eagles-themed Pod we're dropping next week. Next Wednesday, Nov. 9, we're doing to Do It Live! with Gregg Berhalter, just hours after the USMNT roster drops live on ESPN2 (and ESPN+) at 5 p.m. ET. A mere three hours later at 8 p.m. we go live with Gregg, breaking down the announcement position-by-position and previewing the biggest tournament of his career. And because this is on Amp, not only can you listen to it, but you can actually participate and ask your questions. Just download the Amp app HERE , follow @meninblazers, and join us live Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. ET 🇺🇸

8. Not Football, and All the Better for It

ii. The Best Men's Jeans for Every Type of Dude. Shared byline from Jesse Marsch and Pep.

iii. Love And Power: Dolly De Leon On Triangle Of Sadness. The only movie you will see all year with what critics have felt compelled to describe as a "bravura vomit sequence."

v. How Black Gloves Took Over Cooking Videos. Coroner gloves or not my contention is that there's always been a simmering creepiness about tiktok cooking videos

vi. How to Put Out Every Kind of Kitchen Fire. Now this on the other hand is a cooking show I would happily watch.

vii. Tie-Dye, From Stylish to Traditional. One thing to know about me is that as a child I was so tragically bad at tie-dyeing that camp counselors would specifically ask me not to participate so they wouldn't have to look at my creations drying out on the line.

viii. "The Raw Material of History": Jon Bois in the Age of Everything. "If cinema does exist and can be gestured toward, it must be the thing that materializes history, makes memory artifactual."

ix. Dobby’s Grave Can Stay on a Beach in Wales, but Please Stop Giving Him Socks. If anyone is feeling rebellious, boy do we have the socks for you.

x. The Galvanizing Body Horror of Heidi Klum’s Worm Costume. "Whether consciously or not, she was helping to underscore the endless heavy lifting that a certain kind of femininity requires."

xi. ‘It’s Unbelievably Difficult to Act Brilliantly’. I dare you to find a Jeremy Strong interview that doesn't completely delight me.

xii. Weird cars are becoming the new normal. The only weird car we recognize in my house is this

xiii. When you find out you missed Fat Bear Week this year! Pretty sure if you click around, you can find the photos of Tony Hibbert’s fishing trips here too.

xiv. I LOVE THIS SONG: Cracked Open by Field Guide

xv. A Book: Messi v Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two Goats, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg. Two Wall Street Journal writers, who combined for the excellent The Club, return to deliver a book I blurbed like this: “While these two soaring greats are known for their transcendent wonder on the field, this rollicking narrative plunges into the complex backstories and entire ecosystems that propelled their colliding trajectories. With a pair of epic hero stories like The Last Dance or Homer’s Odyssey in cleats, this book traces the journey from aspirational prodigies to global commercial billboards, explaining how these two juggernauts and their rivalry shaped the most popular, and lucrative, era of the world’s most beloved sport.”

That is it for today. To those of you in New York and New Jersey – I am doing something really lovely on Tuesday: come and meet me and the FIFA World Cup Trophy. Yes, me and that incredible orb o’gold will finally come together, as they have so many times in my dreams. Not exactly like that, but they will be at the same place at the same time. The GFOPs at Coca-Cola are bringing the trophy to the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, N.J. Tuesday, Nov. 8. Also there, and just as shiny, Rog! I'll be live in conversation with Tim Howard and another Brazilian special guest. Do not miss it. If you are in the NYC tri-state area, come be with us at 2pm EST. It is Election Day, so vote, then come and bring your kids to have their photo taken with the trophy America will defend in 2026 😉

Let’s Make Great Memories Through Watching Football.

Big Love.

Courage.

ROG