USMNT January Transfer Window Preview with Doug McIntyre
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And I think the U.S. finishes the year with a sense of optimism. ♪♪

Hello, sunshine. I'm Alexi Lawless-Milk with the State of the Union podcast, where we look at the beautiful game on and off the field through the lens of red, white, and blue colored glasses. This show will be talking, ooh, to the great Dougie Mac with a transfer window preview and a look back and a review of 2024. The Mac Herman Award, Academy versus College, Italian Supercoppa.

The longest night and so much more. But first, joining me as always, my friend, my colleague, my guiding light, David Mossie, a soccer savant and a Fox Soccer researcher and writer extraordinaire. Mossie, how are you doing on this? Well, what are we looking at here? January 1st in the year 2025? I am doing well as we kick off yet another year on the State of the Union podcast.

Hey, listen, happy new year to everybody. I hope that you have wonderful 2025 2024, by the way, on and off the field was not so, you know, hopefully we have another interesting year when it comes to 2025, but hopefully it's also a healthy and happy and safe one for you and yours out there. As I mentioned last show,

Thank you so much for everybody that checks us out and has now as we come up on our, I guess it would be our seventh year anniversary when it comes to the State of the Union. We can't even believe that we keep doing this, but the reason why is because of you out there. So we're having a good time. Masi, are you reading or watching anything you want to mention to the folks? I haven't started watching this yet, but Squid Game Season 2 is out on Netflix, and it's

You might recall, this has been the one little stumble in my relationship with your mother, because I talked up season one on this pod and then she went and watched it and hated it. But, you know, I didn't I wasn't recommending it for her. I know that that show is not for everybody. So I want to make it clear right now to your mother that whatever I say about season two on this show, it doesn't mean that I'm recommending it for you specifically.

Well, listen, we don't let reviews dictate what we watch or what we don't watch. But if you look at the reviews, it seems that at least to a lot of these reviewers and some people out there that Squid Games 2 has jumped the shark. So I don't hold out hope for Squid Games 2 when it comes to my mom in terms of her reaction being anything better.

than it was before. So yeah, not getting great reviews right there. And look, it's hard. It was such a phenomenon, but also a perfect moment for it. But you know, anything that is successful when it comes to Hollywood out there,

They got to do more of it. Let's see. I just finished over there on my Audible a book called The Longest Night, A Personal History of Pan Am 103. And for those that don't remember, back in 1998, in December 21st, as a matter of fact, so right around this time of year, and I always think about it around this time of year, a 747 Pan Am 103 was shot down over Lockerbie, Scotland.

And, you know, this goes, this is a much more personal type of reflection as opposed to the terrorist aspect of it and getting into that story. This is about a woman and, you know, her husband was on the plane. And it's just, I've always been just fascinated by this story. And, you know, it...

It kind of was in the consciousness at that moment because I was at home back in Michigan in December of 1988. I had just finished my first semester of college, and this was a Pan Am flight that was going from London to

stopping in New York and then moving on to Detroit. And so there were plenty of Detroit connections when it came to this. And to hear her tell the story, and her husband was in the microphone and audio industry. And so she has all of these tapes of him and his family. And so it just kind of augments everything in terms of her telling her personal story out there. So that was good. That's the only thing that I have to mention.

And Lex, you know, people don't realize this, but before Osama bin Laden, Gaddafi was the face of international terrorism. He was involved in so many incidents in the 80s, including the Lockerbie that you just talked about. But yeah, to the point where, if you recall, in the movie Back to the Future, the terrorists that were chasing Doc Brown were the Libyans, you know, because Libya was the country that everybody associated with terrorism back then.

Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. All right. Let's light this candle. As we mentioned, the great Dougie Mack has joined us. You know him from all of his writing out there on Fox and for Fox. And he's been on the show many, many times. And we decided, hey, let's pick his brain in the new year. So without further ado, let's get to Dougie Mack.

Okay, as advertised, Dougie Mack back on the show. Welcome back, my friend. Greetings up there in the great white north. Happy holidays to you and yours, my friend. The ball does not stop. It continues to go along. You still crank out the content. You got a bunch of articles out, including your in review and

a preview of the upcoming transfer window. Let's look a little back in terms of your year in review. Give me a couple of things that stood out to you either on or off the field that you wrote about when it comes to this crazy soccer world that we cover.

Yeah, Lex, same to you. Great to see you as always. I mean, we thought 2023 was a crazy year for the U.S. men's national team, the way it started with all the off-field drama. You know, Greg Berhalter getting rehired as coach halfway through the year. You know, and 2024, we thought, couldn't possibly be...

As chaotic, as drama-filled, and of course it was. And really sort of the theme of the article was that there were some warning signs that things weren't going well very early on. You don't put stock in a January friendly, but the U.S. lost to Slovenia. They go into the Nations League in March, get very, very lucky to beat Jamaica in the Nations League semifinal. And then when they beat Mexico in the final, you sort of think that,

You know, you forget that that game against Jamaica happened. But in hindsight, I think that's where the alarm bells were going off. And then we got another warning right before the Copa America with that loss to Colombia. So there were some warning signs that the Copa America maybe wasn't going to go well. Obviously, that happened.

and it led to a year of tremendous change. Berhalter out, Mauricio Pochettino in, and I think the U.S. finishes the year with a sense of optimism. They win their last two games of the year, including on the road in Jamaica, and it was an improvement from Pochettino's first window. Only two camps, but you could see that the team was better the second window than the first, and I think that that's a really good sign heading into what we know is going to be a really important 2025 for the U.S. men's national team.

Doug, the January transfer window is upon us. One of the players you mentioned in your piece is Jedi Robinson. He's been linked to big clubs in England like Liverpool and Manchester City. And until recently, I would have thought moving to those clubs, he would risk being a backup. But do you think he's progressed to the point now where he's viewed as a starter even for clubs at that level? I don't think there's any question, Masi. If a team like Liverpool is going to come in and drop the sort of money that it's going to take,

to get him from Fulham. Jedi signed a five-year contract extension last year or at the beginning of last season, I think I should say. Then there's no question. I mean, we're talking about a guy who is, for my money, the best left back in the Premier League, maybe the best fullback in the Premier League. He's yet another assistant, Fulham's most recent match. He's leading all defenders in assists in the Premier League.

Um, and I think he's proved that he's ready for that next step. I remember speaking to him over the summer. He said he wants to play champions league football. Obviously he would have that, that chance at a, at a club like Liverpool. Um, so I think he's ready to go. It's really a question of whether Fulham is willing to sell him in January, but, um,

as I wrote either way, these are the last, this is the last look we're getting at Anthony Robinson at Fulham, whether he goes in January, whether he goes at the end of the season, I would be stunned if he's not at a major, major club, uh, this time next year. What are we looking at? Number, number wise, in terms of Jedi, where do you think he values right now?

I mean, the number that pops in my head, Lex, is that kind of 20 million mark, you know, whether it's euros or dollars or maybe a little bit less pounds. But I think he's that level of player at this stage. And who knows? The money in England is crazy, as we know, but...

He's going to earn his agent a lot of money with that next transfer. I don't think there's any question about that. Well, let's stick with some stock up types of players and we'll get to the stock down and some of the problems and the red flags going on for some players here. Ricardo Pepe, right now playing great for certainly for country and coming in and kind of

Not grabbing it with both hands yet, but at least with one hand when it comes to that striker position that still remains open as far as I'm concerned. But he's done some really, really good things. And then I think from a club perspective has done pretty much everything that is asked of him in terms of making it difficult and coming on as a substituting and scoring goals. But do you see a move? And we've talked about him in terms of moves a lot. Do you see a move here in the near future when it comes to January? Or is this much more of a summer type of thing?

Yeah, it's a good question. And again, much like Jeddah, I think it's a case where if there was an opportunity to come along in January, there would be no question Ricardo Pepe would take it if it made sense, if it got him more playing time. I mean, I think that's what he said consistently. He's scoring whatever he plays, but he wants to play. He wants to start. He's behind Luke DeJong still at PSV. He's getting more minutes, so that's a good sign. But I think PSV wants to keep him. I think they see that

that he is the successor to Lutong who's, you know, getting up in years. He's not going to be able to man that position forever. So it's really a question of, you know, how patient is Pepe willing to be? He has been patient and he wants to play more. So, you know, will he get to play more the second half of the season? There's still some Champions League games for PSV. I think he will. I think they're throwing him a bone a little bit in terms of giving him some starts now that he didn't get last year.

but he is under contract and PSP doesn't have to sell him. So really that's, you know, again, it comes down to what the club wants to do. But I think again, if Pepe had the opportunity, he'd be, he'd be gone tomorrow. He wants to play. You think Pepe or, or Jedi, if you had to pick one in terms of making the move in January, which one? It's a tough question. I've thought a lot about it actually coming into the show. I would say,

They're probably 50-50. I don't want to sit on the fence, but guns in my head, I would say Jedi is the more likely of the two. Got it. Mossi? Doug, another center forward, Brandon Vasquez, didn't actually have a great aperture, but his stock is still pretty high in this region. Could a return to MLS be in the cards for him?

Yeah, I mean, Tom Bogert, our friend who we know well, reported earlier this month that there were several MLS teams interested in Vasquez, and he's a proven scorer in MLS. I mean, just a couple years ago, the top joint top scoring American in the league. Didn't have as great a year in 2023, but he's a proven commodity. And like you said, he started off very well at Monterey, but the starts dried up.

towards the end of the year. He did start one leg of the opportunity final, but the goals dried up as well. So it could be a guy that's looking for a move. And certainly a lot of MLS teams could use a goal scorer as good in MLS as Brandon Vasquez has proven to be.

When it comes to some of these players that are not playing the likes of Chris Richards and Matt Turner, and even, you know, to a certain extent, Gio Reyna, although he's had a really good run here the last couple of weeks, what's on their radar? And you mentioned briefly there about MLS. And how much does MLS, do you think, factor into some of these players in terms of the palette of potential destinations if and when they go?

Well, I think it's always there as a, as a, as a fallback and not to, you know, paint the MLS in that brush, but it is there. Like guys know they can play if they absolutely have to. We saw, um, you mentioned on the last show, Michael Bradley came back before world cup. Cause he knew he's going to get playing time in Toronto. He wasn't getting it at, uh, at Roma. Um,

So it's an option for guys. And I think it's an option primarily because Mauricio Pochettino, U.S. coach, has said it is an option. He's going to, you know, he doesn't care where guys are playing. Every time he's asked, he said, well, Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. He's from Argentina. So he's obviously a little bit biased there.

But he says, you know, Messi's playing in MLS, then why can't any of my players play in MLS? So I think that's, I think that's a good thing. Matt Turner's in a really interesting situation because he's on a year long loan, season long loan to Palace from Nottingham Forest and every team needs a good number two goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, obviously the number one at Palace.

So is he really going to leave in January? I don't think so. It's not the worst thing in the world, given that there's not a ton of competition behind him for the national team. And there's only one window between now and June, and that's the Nations League. And the last two Nations League, Matt Turner was in goal and the U.S. managed to win that tournament, even though he wasn't playing for his club at the time. So I think I would think Matt Turner will stick it out.

for the rest of the year at Palace, but he's a guy that he has to move before the 2026 World Cup to somewhere where he's going to play. And I know he likes being in the Premier League. He's now with his third team in the Premier League, but that might mean dropping down a division, whether that's into the championship or, you know, if he goes to Belgium or the Netherlands or Germany or MLS, he has to find somewhere where he's going to play in the lead up to the World Cup in 2026.

Doug, Alexi mentioned Gio Reyna. He started a couple of games in a row against Barcelona and Hoffenheim actually scored a nice goal against Hoffenheim, but then back on the bench against Wolfsburg. Do you think starting those two games was enough for him to feel like he's part of the mix there and for him to stick it out of Dortmund the rest of the season?

I can't see him leaving in January, Masi. I think we all know he went on loan last year. Didn't work out well for him. Worked out well for Dortmund. They got to the Champions League final before them. They're a good team. There's a lot of competition there, but...

The fact that he's gotten a couple of starts and he's scored is encouraging. I think that, you know, you have to think that in going into 2025, second half of the season, now that he's healthy, if he can build on that, you know, that would be huge for him to get a run at games and obviously huge for the national team as well. But yeah, I'd be surprised if he moves in January. I think he'll be there. And I think he should stay. I know you were a proponent of him staying last year. So I think you'll get your wish this year, Mozzie.

Finishing up here, and by the way, you should definitely go read Doug's story. And there's a whole lot more about players and gets into a whole lot more detail. But if there is an American player out there who needs a move, who needs it the most in terms of some of the players that we've talked about?

It's a good question. I would have said maybe Chris Richards a couple of weeks ago, but he did start that game against Arsenal. He went back to the bench, came on in the sub, and then he started in Palace's most recent game, which they won. But, you know, for every player, you know, it's about playing. There's a few guys that were not mentioned in my article, and I think I should mention quick because I think...

Perhaps some of the most likely guys to move are not guys that have been in regularly and might want to make a move to catch Pochettino's attention. One guy that comes to mind is Lenny Maloney. He came in under Berhalter. He's in his second year as a starter in the Bundesliga with Heidenheim. He turned down a contract extension with Heidenheim, which means that he's out of contract at the end of the season. So he's definitely going to be gone by June and maybe even sooner than that.

Heidenheim in a relegation dogfight. I think, you know, a team that's always going to be in that sort of situation, a team that he helped get promoted a few years ago. They're 17th now, or sorry, third from bottom in that league at the moment. So I think Maloney's looking at a, you know, a step up to maybe a mid-table or better Bundesliga team and hopefully can get himself back into the national team under the new coach.

Doug, Stu Holden said recently on this pod that Ricardo Pepe should move to Serie A. He didn't specify a team. He just said Serie A. Do you buy in general that Serie A has usurped the Bundesliga and the Premier League as the go-to destination for Americans that when in doubt, they should look to go to that league now?

It's certainly become more of a viable option. But it's a little bit different than some of the other leagues you mentioned, because I think you saw typically younger players going to the Bundesliga or going to the Eredivisie and trying to work their way up. For me, Serie A is a little bit more mature of a league. It's a bit better of a league than it has been in years. We watch it all the time now with all the Americans in there. And when you look at the sort of Americans that are there,

for the most part, certainly with the big clubs, they're starters. They're, you know, it's guys that are established. They're not necessarily looking at as it, as a step to get somewhere else. Um, and I, I still think that us players, when they go to Germany, when they go to the Netherlands, they're looking at, um,

They're looking at a chance to move up to the Premier League. Or now Serie A. I mean, it used to be all about the Premier League. That's where everyone wanted to go. That's where you get the most money. That's where there's the most exposure. It's the most competitive league in the world. But certainly, given the success that Christian Pulisic has had,

Weston McKinney, Tim Weah, Eunice Moussa in that league. I think you're going to start to see more Americans going there. And there are some guys that are making a case there. Gianluca Busio getting back to Serie A. Now he's back with the national team as well. So, you know, when other players see that, you know, the coach is paying attention and calling in players that aren't necessarily on the top teams, that's always going to catch guys' attention. And it's certainly a viable landing spot.

for Americans now a lot more than it had been for a long time. So it's great to see. Well, let's finish it up here. And, you know, mentioned, you mentioned Pochettino and call-ups and all that kind of stuff. We're a year and a half away from the 26th World Cup, which is amazing to think. We have what traditionally has been, you know, camp cupcake or whatever you want. We have games coming up in against Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale and

against Costa Rica and Orlando, but obviously a camp in January is not going to have a lot of the players that we'll feature. What are you hearing about that camp? And then as this challenge of getting quality competition over the next year and a half happens, what are you hearing from a U.S. national team perspective as to how this next year and a half is going to look?

Yeah, for me, January camp is always interesting. Everyone likes to deride it as camp cupcake and make fun of it, and that's fine. But as we know, guys, there's always one or two players from those camps that end up becoming staples on the national team. Stu Holden was one. There's a list somewhere, someone compiled. I think it was Jeff Crandall at U.S. Soccer. Of all the guys that have gotten their first or second cap,

for the U for the U.S. squad senior cap during a January window. And it's a who's who of national team greats Landon Donovan, Josie Altidore, Clint Dempsey. We saw Matt Turner use a January camp to propel himself into a starting spot at a World Cup.

uh, not, not too long ago. So similar camp, obviously almost exclusively, um, MLS based. I think there might be one, one or two players that are surprised from, um, from outside of the domestic league. We're looking at around 28 or so players somewhere between, you know, the normal 25, 26 and 30. Um,

And, yeah, good opportunity for players to, MLS players, to work with the coaching staff for an extended period of time. It'll be about 10 or 12, I think 14 days in total. The players will report on the 7th. Camp begins on January 8th. Two games, as you mentioned, on January 18th and 22nd. So it's very rare as a national team that you get that much time in front of the coach. And if you perform well,

I think there'll be, I'm sure there'll be a couple of guys from January camp on that March roster for Nations League that impress Mauricio Pochettino. Beyond that, we know we have a Gold Cup in the summer. There's going to be at least two pre-Gold Cup friendlies. I'm told that the opponents and venues are not sorted out for that. Nothing's been finalized. I know the U.S. was trying to schedule England,

to play against them in June in Philadelphia, but not sure that's happening. England has a World Cup qualifier, that same window. They would need FIFA permission to come over to the U.S. to leave their confederation and play a friendly in another one. So I don't know that that's going to happen. But it is complicated by the fact that a lot of teams are in World Cup qualifying in that June window. But I know the goal is to get the best competition possible

to go into the Gold Cup. So we'll have to see who those opponents are. But lots of games. There's going to be lots to talk about in 2025 for sure. Well, good. I mean, I hope there is as much to talk about in 2025 and obviously leading up to 2026. And you will be there to document it all and talk about it all. We always appreciate when you come on. Again, Doug McIntyre's articles are out right now, whether it's the year in review that is 2024 and a look back at all the crazy things that happened on and off

the field or as we said this preview of this transfer window coming up and how it affects affects uh americans uh going forward my friend uh go back to work i hope to see you in person at some point soon and we always thank you for coming on the state of the union thanks for having me guys happy new year to both you and uh look forward to a great new year for all of us to you too all right well thanks again to uh doug mcintyre always love to uh talk to him about what's uh what's going on and he's nice enough

to come on on a continual basis. And we'll hear from him again later on as we get into 2025. Mossy, where should we go to now? Well, I just want to comment on the Doug interview. You know, he wrote a great piece in early 2024 about the burgeoning rivalry between MLS and the Saudi pro league. And I don't want to tell Doug how to do his job, but an interesting piece right now would be the dynamic between MLS and the Brazilian league in the transfer market, because, uh,

Brazilian clubs are raiding other South American countries, and it means going after a lot of these young South Americans that MLS would like to sign. So they're bumping up against each other a lot in the transfer market. Also, Brazilian clubs are starting to raid MLS and disrupt a little bit of this bridge to Europe strategy. This past year, Botafogo acquired Thiago Amara.

brought him to Brazil for six months. And now he's going to go from Botafogo to Leon. And I know that Atlanta United got a nice chunk of change from Botafogo for him 20 million euros, but still MLS didn't get that pop of being the ones to directly sell them to Europe. Also Palmeiras just signed Facundo Torres from Orlando. So when he goes to Europe from there, MLS is not going to get a pop there. Um, this has died down recently, but Flamengo fans at one point were clamoring for them to sign Cucho Hernandez as a replacement for Gabby goal. Uh,

Miguel Almiron is looking to come back from Europe and everybody assumed it would be MLS, but now Botafogo are interested in signing him. So MLS versus the Brazilian league in the transfer market. I think it's an interesting dynamic to watch in 2025. Ooh, that'll be cool. Hey Mossy, you know, we were talking earlier this week on the show about, you know, those global awards and Cristiano Ronaldo popping off about Saudi Arabia, but,

His contract is coming to an end. So do you think there's any possibility that Cristiano, we see Cristiano in MLS?

Yeah, I know some people have raised that on X, not to bring up an awkward topic, but he had a legal incident years ago. And there are some questions about the viability of him actually being able to come here and live in the United States. But if that's not an issue, then, yeah, why not? I mean, imagine having Messi and Ronaldo in the same league again. My goodness. Oh, my goodness. All right. Where should we go to now, Moskvich?

Let's look ahead to some games taking place in the next few days, beginning with the Italian Super Cup, which takes place in Saudi Arabia. It's a four-team knockout tournament. The first semifinal on Thursday, Inter Milan will take on Atalanta. And then on Friday, it will be Juventus against AC Milan. Now, ordinarily, this would have been an American All-Star.

orgy. Unfortunately, McKinney is the only one of the four Americans that's fit right now. Pulisic, Moose, and Weah all sideline. We'll see if any of them make it back for this game. Sounds like Pulisic might have a chance, but we'll see. Should be interesting.

And, you know, as we mentioned before, Weston McKinney is playing multiple positions. And as for this moment, he is the left back when it comes to Juventus. But this is the interesting thing about Weston McKinney. And maybe he's the only player on this national team right now that I think about in this way. For other players, it would bother me that he is, quote unquote, playing out of position.

I don't think relative to the national team, I worry about Weston McKinney coming back into the national team as long as he's playing soccer and he's out there on the field. And let's be honest, also at times he kind of freeforms for both club and country. But that he is playing at left back, I'm just happy that he's on the field and that they value him and that he can play multiple positions. And even if that means that when he comes to the national team with Pochettino,

He goes right back to his, I guess, more traditional position of playing in the midfield in that three in the midfield. I don't think he misses a beat. And I don't know. I guess it's just because of the way that Weston McKinney functions and plays. And it's unique to him.

And remember Milan in the midst of a coaching change. And, you know, it's interesting. I mentioned these games are taking place in Saudi Arabia, semifinals Thursday and Friday. The final will be on Monday. On Sunday, PSG faces Monaco in the French Super Cup in Qatar. And then, uh,

next week we have the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid will face two Holdens Mallorca in one semifinal. Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao in the other semifinal. And we talk so much about European leagues holding games here in the United States. A first intermediate step would be to get some of these Super Cup games to be here instead of in the Middle East. It seems like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have cornered the market on these, but how fun would it be this upcoming Friday if we had a Juventus-AC Milan game in the United States to look forward to?

I don't know, Mossy. I think as far as being a bridge too far, I think when it comes to... Because you mentioned Mallorca. That is the cup game, right? For La Liga, right? Correct. The Spanish Super Cup. It's four teams. Real Madrid, Mallorca, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao. Yeah. If it's a league game...

I'm much more open to those games being played elsewhere, whether it's the United States or, you know, and it remains to be seen whether that's going to be allowed. But even if that's allowed, I'm much more open to a league game being played as opposed to a cup game, because I think that the cup game.

I attach it so much more to the country and culture that whatever cup it is that it represents of whatever country. And so, you know, seeing a cup game being played in Saudi Arabia or in Qatar or in the U.S. for that matter, that I think would rub me the wrong way relative to a league game being played.

So this turns you off, the fact that all these countries in Europe have taken their Super Cups to places like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Yeah, because I don't know, maybe it's a romantic notion of what the Cup games actually are, in that they represent even more so, I think, the country and culture than the league games, if that makes sense.

Interesting. We also have some Premier League action this upcoming weekend on the American front. Bournemouth will host Everton. We'll see if Tyler Adams is fit for that one. But the big one, Liverpool will host Manchester United at Anfield. Liverpool all alone atop the table looking to continue their incredible form. Yeah, I mean...

You mean that this is just big in that there's two, quote unquote, big teams playing? Because as far as the actual competition and the quality, Liverpool, given what the situation is right now, should have no problem. Liverpool is flying and Manchester United, even with the coaching change, is certainly not flying. By the way, you see what's going on with Marcus Rashford and all that kind of stuff over there at Manchester United? Yes, the January transfer window is upon us and Rashford looks like a guy that could certainly be on the way out.

Wow. But do you think that this is anything other than a Liverpool win? No. I expect Liverpool to handle Manchester United. A couple of notes on Liverpool. Mo Salah's numbers this season are absolutely stupid. He has, at the midway point, 17 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League, 20 goals and 17 assists in all competitions. He is emerging as the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, and this is all occurring against the backdrop of this contract situation. There have been some

optimistic reports lately, but Salah came out and said, no, we're still far apart. I still don't know how this is going to go. Not only is Mo Salah like the king right now on the field, but off the field in terms of negotiation, he is the king. Then he came out and said, no, this is not even anything that we are talking about right now. We are far away from that. It is absolutely perfect.

in terms of setting himself up. If he continues on or not, it doesn't matter because his value now is sky high and his values specifically to Liverpool continues to get more and more and more and yet that he continues to beg off and say, no, nothing is done, absolutely nothing is done and who knows what's going to happen in the future at a time where he is playing arguably...

the greatest form that he has been for Liverpool. Well played, Mr. Sala. And another Liverpool player out of contract at the end of the season is Trent Alexander-Arnold. There are all sorts of reports that he's going to go to Real Madrid, that he's already made up his mind. He's going to sign a pre-contract...

now to move to Real Madrid at the end of the season. It's just something to think about as Liverpool chases a Premier League title here. Is this going to be a distraction having all these players like Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold whose futures are up in the air or in Alexander-Arnold's case, they might already know that he's leaving. So is that going to affect his play at all? We'll see. But I just want to say on Liverpool and Manchester United,

Um, I read a book recently called red on red, which was co-written by Phil McNulty and Jim white about, uh, the history of this rivalry. They call it the fiercest rivalry in world football, Liverpool, Manchester United. And in terms of league titles right now, uh, Manchester United have 20, Liverpool have 19. So Liverpool are looking to tie them, uh,

It was 18-7 Liverpool at the dawn of the Premier League. And then under Sir Alex Ferguson, United won 13 Premier League titles before Liverpool won any. So it became 2018 United. Then Liverpool pulled one back in 2020 under Klopp. And now they're in the driver's seat to win it again. So that would make it a 2020 tie all-time league titles between Liverpool and Manchester United.

I think we tried to answer this a few weeks ago, and I think we maybe did answer this a few weeks ago. Is the title race over when it comes to the EPL 4-24-25 season, Masi? What say you? I don't think it's over. Arsenal is the one team I could still see making a run at Liverpool and making this interesting, but I do fully expect Liverpool to win the title at this point.

Yeah, I think it's over. I think it's over. Doesn't mean I'm not watching. So big games. Anything else, Masi? That's it. All right, let's take a quick break. When we come back, it's time for Ask Alexi. Don't go anywhere.

Okay, welcome back. It's that time of the show for Ask Alexi, that part of the show where you send in your comments, questions, and concerns. And keep in mind that our State of the Union handle out there on all the social media platforms is SOTU with Alexi. Or you can call into our State of the Union podcast hotline, which is 657-549-2297. That is 657-549-2297. And listen, if you're out there, by the way, on all the social media platforms, be it Facebook,

I don't know, YouTube or X or Spotify or all the different places where you get the State of the Union. Don't forget to punch those buttons. Subscribe, left, right, up, down, double fist and all that kind of stuff out there. We really, really appreciate that. All right, Mossy, what do the folks want to know today on Ask Alexi? We have a voicemail. Let's take a listen.

Hi guys, this is Alex from Chicago. I was listening to one of your guys' pods about the college soccer experience. I was wondering, you know, why do former pros not go into coaching at the college level? I know a lot of former pros prefer to go into academies or, you know,

professional setups. So why, why is college overlooked? Just wanted to get your guys' thoughts. Thanks. All right. Well, thank you, Alex from Chicago, by the way, I'll be heading up to Chicago here next week, I think, uh, to, uh, the coaching convention. So look forward to seeing everybody out there. And, uh, if I do see out there, come on over and say hello. Um, okay. So, uh, when it comes to coaching, um,

I think that to your point, Alex, there is a pathway and maybe a road less traveled when it comes to college coaching that I think can be incredibly fruitful for some of these coaches. And look, there are plenty of college coaches out there that have had MLS careers and have played in MLS. But I do think as coaches,

The college pathway for players has started to dry up or at least not be entertained as much as it has been traditionally in the past. I also think the coaching pathway has changed and evolved. And there are a lot of players, I guess, ex-players who have gotten into coaching and

And their desire and their aspiration is to coach professionally. And their aspiration does not necessarily involve being a college coach, especially given the realities of the college landscape today. And, Mossy, I don't need to tell you, it has changed dramatically with NIL and all that kind of stuff. And certainly when it comes to coaching professionally,

college soccer, the shortness of the season, the reality now of players coming in and out, the disparity of talent between teams and therefore the disparity of competition between teams. It, you know, it provides a

some pretty unique challenges to some of these coaches. And a lot of people from the outside certainly look at it as that's not what I want to do. I want to coach year round. And I'm not saying that college coaches aren't necessarily coaching year round, but you know what I'm talking about when it comes to an academy that is a feeder and it is in a professional type of environment.

And I think it just appeals to a lot of young coaches that have the dream of ultimately being a professional coach going forward. Now, that could change. And we've talked a lot in the State of the Union about the potential for change when it comes to coaching.

the college game if you were to harness that game and not only if you were to harness it would it benefit the players and the development of players but it also could benefit and open up that opportunity when it comes to uh college coaching I'm going to see you know one of the college greats when it comes to college soccer in Anson Dorrance who was just recently retired

And I'm looking forward to talking to him. And by the way, we'll bring you those interviews from the Herman Mack Award in St. Louis. And I'll talk a little bit about that here in a second. But what college was and what it is right now and the opportunity that can provide not just for a player, but in this case, we're talking about coaches. But unless...

College drastically and dramatically changes going forward. I'm not saying it can't, but unless it does, I think it's certainly going to become less and less appealing for players who finish their career and have aspirations of coaching going forward. And a prestigious college soccer award is the topic of your one for the road today.

You know what, my friend? You're great at these teases here. As Mossy has just teased, yes, I will come back and I will give you my one for the road here in a second. And it will have something to do with college soccer. Don't go anywhere.

Okay, welcome back. It is the end of our show, and at the end of each and every show, I give you my one for the road, and as we alluded to in the previous segment, yeah, we're going to talk a little bit about the Mack Herman Award. Yours truly, once again, there's no accounting for bad taste, and they've invited me back, so I am heading to St. Louis this week, and I will be in St. Louis to be on hand for the awarding of

both the male and female uh mac herman trophy award which is given each year to the best collegiate player yours truly many many years ago back in the previous century in the 1900s i was the proud recipient of it way back in i don't know would have been like 91 92 or something like that but it's always fun to go back to st louis and back to uh

the Missouri Athletic Club, which is what MAC stands for. And it's a wonderful old club full of history when it comes to not just St. Louis, but also soccer. And for those that

that maybe don't know, St. Louis has a long tradition when it comes to soccer. You know, even before I was playing, but certainly when I was playing, we would go down there, we would have national team camps down there. We've played Olympic qualifiers down there. Bush and the incredible, you know,

patronage and involvement in soccer over the years that Bush had when it came to soccer. Wonderful players that have come out, whether it's your Tim Reins and your Becky Salbrins and your Taylor Twelmans, and the list goes on and on and on when it comes to that area. And anyway, they have been giving out this award year after year after year. And I get to go and I get to meet some of these incredible young men and women

that are up for the award. And as we did last year, we will bring you some of those interviews, as I mentioned in the previous segment. Anson Dorrance is going to be one of the special guests there, so I'm really looking forward to seeing and talking with that legend that is Anson Dorrance. But when you're there and you're in the Missouri Athletic Club, you can feel the history as it relates to American soccer.

And so, you know, sometimes we kick ourselves for what we aren't as an American soccer-playing nation. And look, as I've talked about before, our history is unique. And our history when it comes to soccer is very different relative to other countries and culture. But there is a history. And if you take the time to actually go back

and read about or watch or even just talk to people about what American soccer has been over the years, you'll find that a lot of roads lead back to or through St. Louis. So it's a fun time for me to go back, but it's also a wonderful homage and opportunity to pay tribute to what the Missouri Athletic Club has meant, but also what St. Louis has meant.

And to see what St. Louis has now become over the last couple of years with them coming into Major League Soccer has been wonderful. And, you know, that stadium that they have downtown and what that has meant to the city that has, you know, has had soccer as part of their history has been wonderful to see. So I'm looking forward to that.

And, you know, I could tell this story relative to a lot of places around the United States. So this isn't just specific necessarily to St. Louis, but in this case, because I'm going there, I'm, you know, I'm talking about this and getting a little bit romantic and a little bit nostalgic of what American soccer has been. But, you know, as the saying goes, you come a long way, baby. And American soccer certainly has.

But if not for the places like St. Louis, it would have taken us a lot longer to get where we are. So looking forward to St. Louis. And if you are in St. Louis and I happen to see you, come on up. Say hello. Do whatever you need to do. We can have a conversation. Agree, disagree. It doesn't matter. Mossy, anything before we go, my friend?

On the topic of awards, I don't know if you saw this, but Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter in Colorado got spanked by BYU in the Alamo Bowl. So your boy Coach Prime taking a lot of heat for that one. And if you're listening to this on January 1st, later today, it is the Rose Bowl, the highly anticipated showdown between Kyla's Oregon and your wife's beloved Ohio State. I cannot wait. Should be an incredible game.

Yes. By the time you are listening to this, the game will, you know, be there, be happening or, or probably be over.

I need this to go well for my wife, for our household of our family, Mosse. But we're up against it. I was actually just reading a story about how the Ducks, right? Is that what they're called? The Ducks over there in Oregon? They have some really fine-looking uniforms that they're going to break out over there in the Rose Bowl. So, you know, may that be the only good part of the Ducks in the Rose Bowl for this game, as far as I'm concerned.

Anything before we go, Mossy? Kyla, incidentally, producing the tail end of this podcast, it was originally Sean Sullivan. But, you know, he's getting up there in age. He can't last an entire pod anymore. So we had to bring in Kyla out of the bullpen. So, yeah, as we enter 2025, this could be the year where Kyla just overtakes Sean and just becomes the permanent host of this pod. We'll see.

Right? I mean, listen, things are going to happen in 2025. As we have mentioned, we're going to try to do some things differently. And who knows? Maybe involve Kyla, maybe involve others going forward, but we'll see. We're very lucky to have all of them, as we are lucky to have all of you that listen. So keep reviewing, keep downloading, keep, you know,

subscribing and doing all the different things that you do. Punch those buttons over there on YouTube. Subscribe, punch, punch away, smash that button left and right, all up and down, all that kind of stuff that you do. We'll talk to you again next week. We're off and running in 2025, my friend. Cannot wait. But until then, and as always, size the dead.