So it ended up being a very costly one, Brad.

Yeah, so the one I think when you're a goalkeeper, when you're a centre-back and you're asked to play out of the back, every now and again you're going to lose it.

And this is a tactic from the coaches.

They want you to do it.

The problem is in the historic football in England, the goalkeeper should never do that.

So when it does happen, you get a lot of fans saying, why are they trying to do it? And every now and again it is going to happen.

And I don't...

There's a bit of a feeling, Bradley, it seems with some City fans is that, and Andy used to bemoan this when he was at Chelsea, is that the Maresca football isn't that exciting to watch.

Did you think, when Tottenham were considering selling him, did you think Ballon d'Or winner in the future?

I mean, you never think Ballon d'Or when you didn't even think that of Michael.

Like, I mean, you never, you don't think about those things.

I think with, it was an interesting time for me because I was like 42, 43 years of age.

So I was doing my UEFA B and my UEFA A license and stuff like that.

So I was, I was between the academy and the first team and, and, and Harry was at first between the two.

And when Tim Sherwood took the job, Tim fully put him with the first team and this, you know, sort of like when he came on, scored the goal, the rest is kind of history with Tim.

below them in terms of running stats.

Sorry

about that.

I mean, this isn't something that's just happened overnight.

I mean, ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left, they've...

They've had a wealth of incredible managers that come through the door.

They've had a lot of managers explain to them what they think are the problems with the club.

And it seems like they just keep getting rid of the managers and continuing with the problems.

It's very early, isn't it, in the season to be making a change? But I know the Palace fans are a bit restless, Brad.

And Brad, as a goalkeeper, can I ask you what the difference is between being a club goalkeeper and being an international goalkeeper, especially if you're playing for someone like England where half the time you're playing against teams that are inferior to you and therefore you don't have a lot to do, then all of a sudden you're playing against really good teams and it's a different kettle of fish.

You just answered part of my question because it's different for countries.

In the United States when I played, you go back, there weren't very many people that even took notice other than came into the stadium.

You didn't have all the outside pressures.

I think being a goalkeeper and being the number one for England is a very difficult position.

I think the media and the fans put a lot of pressure on the goalkeeper.

I think any mistake is not forgiven at all.

But is it as bad as everyone's suggesting?

It's a very fair

comment.

So I understand exactly where Mauricio is coming from.

And there's a couple of things here.

Sullivan's a good player.

He's a good talent.

But he made a comment there.

if you're good

Chelsea, can they compete at the elite end if they keep Rob Sanchez in goal?

I've said this for, for a while.

That's so...

Like, I thought they had a, a tremendous goalkeeper in, uh, Petrovic at the club.

They had him under lock and key.

They, they owned him.

Um, I thought that was gonna be the future of, um, of Chelsea.

Does it- what does this give Liverpool in terms of a title challenge and a credible one?

He goes, "When you face a Spanish team, it doesn't matter what level it is." What is the secret sauce? I mean, were you shocked by that outcome yesterday?

No.

No, I wasn't shocked at all.

It was one of those, um, one of those games I was asked, I was on, uh, Talksport earlier, before the, uh, before the game yesterday, and they asked me to predict, and there wasn't a way to predict this game.

It could've been 5-5, could've been 5-4, could've been 2-0 to either side, could've been 1-0, could've been 0-0, [laughs] gone to penalties.

It was...

I think it was a nightmare for the bookies to try to, uh, put the odds on, on a game like this.

[laughs]

He goes, "When you face a Spanish team, it doesn't matter what level it is." What is the secret sauce? I mean, were you shocked by that outcome yesterday?

No.

No, I wasn't shocked at all.

It was one of those, um, one of those games I was asked, I was on, uh, TalkSport earlier before the, uh, before the game yesterday, and they asked me to predict, and there wasn't a way to predict this game.

It could've been 5-5, could've been 5-4, could've been 2-0 to either side, could've been 1-0, could've been 0-0, [chuckles] gone to penalties.

It was, I think it was a nightmare for the bookies to try to, uh, put the odds on, on a game like this.

Um, to put in perspective what Spain does, so their manager, De La Fuente, when I was the head coach of the U.S. Men's, uh, under 19 national team, he was the coach of Spain's under 19 national team.

[laughs]

Well, uh, when you say a mental shift with the kind of domestic game with MLS, wh- where do you see that coming? Is that coming in at more the grassroots, the youth level, or is it actually with the way the whole league is run to fit in with that kind of European model we talk so much about?

All, all over, to be honest with you.

There, there's...

The worst, the worst word in sport, in any sport, men's, women's, and it doesn't matter what it, what it is, is complacency, and there's a lot of complacency in the sporting world in the United States.

And, um, there's, there's not a big cutthroat nature of it in, in the U.S. And, um, the technical ability of the players on the U side are very good, and we're very competitive with the rest of the world.

Um, but when our players turn 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, uh, and they're still playing in the U.S., they miss out on a huge, um, competitive development edge.

You know, so the, the technical base is there for a lot of the players.

Like, actually, uh, I do feel like there is a moment here that U.S. soccer could take hold of if they t- if they handle it correctly.

Where do you stand on it?

it?I'm 50/50 on this one.

I think they both have remarkable players in their team.

Um, if France, I'm gonna use the word weakness, it's not really a weakness, it's like if their, their defending capabilities are not as good as going forward.

In saying that, they've only conceded two goals in the tournament.

Um, I think Spain will get chances against them, it just depends on who scores the goals at the right time.

Um, but I just think it's so difficult to stop Olise with the form that he's in, and Doué, and Dembélé, and Barcola, and Cherki, and Mbappé.

On you go.

Yeah

... you know, it's not a, it's not a personal attack on him.

Um, you know, in this World Cup, he played 45 m- minutes of exhilarating soccer.

He, he was great in the first half against Paraguay.

And, and when you play teams like Belgium, last time I was on your show, Colin, I said Belgium worries me a little bit because if you play a team that has pace on the wings, and they played Luka Bakio.

They, Doku was on the bench, but Trossard also has some pace.

That's gonna make Freeman stay back.

Where do you get the next great Brad Friedl? Where do you get the next great goalie?

What do you make of Norway?

I've done co-coms twice with them.

So they are not one-dimensional.

I'll put that Noosa, very good winger.

Skelterup, very good winger.

And Bob, very good winger.

And they're going to have one of them.

What do you think?

What was the, uh, what was the reaction in America to that, Brad? Was it, was it a- along partisan lines, or were even Republicans thinking that that was a step too far?

Well, what, what's ended up happening over here is we have, um, sort of three parties now.

You have a- almost four.

Like you have Democrats and the Social Democrats over here, and then you have the Republicans, and then you have MAGA.

A- and, and I would, I would say that MAGA probably don't even follow the World Cup, um, and know what's going on, but they would just follow what- whatever happened.

Um, I, I think there's some fans that have, that had r- just come up that are m- mainly the, uh, NFL, Major League Baseball, and NBA fans, those types of programs.

I think they probably didn't fully understand the rule and just thought it was great that he was playing and didn't understand that it affected the integrity and purity of the sport.

Uh, just to stay on America, Brad, what does Pochettino do now? Would the fans want him to stay, and do you think he should?

What was the reaction in America to that, Brad? Was it along partisan lines or were even Republicans thinking that that was a step too far?

Well, what's ended up happening over here is we have sort of three parties now.

You have almost four.

Like, you have Democrats and the Social Democrats over here, and then you have the Republicans, and then you have MAGA.

And...

And I would say that MAGA, I probably don't even follow the World Cup and know what's going on, but they would just follow whatever happened.

I think there's some fans that had just come up that are mainly the NFL, Major League Baseball, and NBA fans.

Just to stay on America, Brad, what does Pochettino do now? Would the fans want him to stay? And do you think he should?

Yeah

... you know, it's not a, it's not a personal attack on him.

Um, you know, in this World Cup, he played 45 m- minutes of exhilarating soccer.

He, he was great in the first half against Paraguay.

And, and when you play teams like Belgium, last time I was on your show, Colin, I said Belgium worries me a little bit because if you play a team that has pace on the wings, and they played Luka Bakio, they...

Doku was on the bench, but Trossard also has some pace.

That's gonna make Freeman stay back.

Where do you get the next great Brad Friedl? Where do you get the next great goalie?

Yeah

... you know, it's not a, it's not a personal attack on him.

Um, you know, in this World Cup, he played 45 m- minutes of exhilarating soccer.

He, he was great in the first half against Paraguay.

And, and when you play teams like Belgium, last time I was on your show, Colin, I said Belgium worries me a little bit because if you play a team that has pace on the wings, and they played Luka Bakio.

They...

Doku was on the bench, but Trossard also has some pace.

Where do you get the next great Brad Friedl? Where do you get the next great goalie?

Come on.

Well, I mean, we spoke before the World Cup.

I mean, where, where I'm at is I wanted the, the, the game I was worried about the most was Paraguay.

We, uh, we played very well.

I was, uh, I just wanted to get through the group.

I wanted to finish in first or second so we had a favorable draw.

And I told you guys on this, on this program is once we face one of the big boys, the stars are gonna have to align for us to win, and that's, that's where we're at.

And it, it felt like our midfield was just stretched as a result of that.

Um, is the air gonna go out of the World Cup, uh, balloon stateside, if you like?

No, not, not at all.

Um, you know that I've been very consistent in my approach with the US team.

I was nervous about the Paraguay game.

We got through that with flying colors.

Um, we got through the group stage.

I wanted to finish in first or second so we had a favorable second-round draw.

What does Brad Friedel think? Would it be your wish that Pochettino carries on?

And-

I, I don't know about you, Joe, or if you can even comment on this.

I know I can't.

I wasn't a massive Pickford fan for a little while in the beginning of his career.

And the last four or five years, he's won me over.

He's been brilliant, and he's played in a struggling Everton ti- uh, side at times, and he's made a lot of really good saves.

Um, a- and I, I've...

Yeah.

Yeah,

we'll do that in a bit.

Yeah, US-Belgium is an interesting one.

I think if they play, and I think we spoke about this, if they play Doku and Lukabakia, we struggle.

If any team that plays against us, if they negate our pace on the outside, so if you take Freeman's pace out, And Des' pace out, and you take Pulisic and Robinson's pace out.

And we have to play possession football through the middle.

That's not our thing.

Can you tell me England are growing into the tournament or that they're getting progressively worse?

[clears throat]

...

if you look at it technically from a goalkeeper, he just took too high of a jump.

His feet weren't set, and then he hit it with pace, and pace will beat you anywhere when your feet, when your feet aren't set.

Um, I've made the mistake before, and when you win, you're relieved.

Mm

... exactly as you said.

He just put his foot down.

So here it goes.

Hello, Betty.

Um, I would love to beat you at predictions.

I mean, of course I'm gonna win, right? Isn't that the way it goes? Okay, uh, England against Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I am going to predict, not an easy game, but maybe an easier scoreline at the end of it all.

I'm gonna predict 3-1 to England.

Um, yeah, 3-1 to England.

[laughs]

And what, what, what, what it ends up doing is it quickly, it quickly makes you realize that it is okay to make a mistake if it's an honest mistake, but don't do it again.

Understand why you made it and get better.

And as long as the fans see you improving and progressing and stop making the mistakes, then they'll g- they'll back you.

In the US, you don't, you don't have a lot of that.

The, there's, um, it's not cutthroat yet.

And people talk to me, um, about is this our golden generation.

You're not surprised by that?

guys

think.

Oh, dear.

Well, I'll use an example.

I don't know if you watched or stayed up and watched Portugal-Colombia.

So they played down in Miami, and the entire stadium was Colombians.

And it's just a party.

How did that defeat go down in America?

guys

think.

Oh, dear.

Well, I'll use an example.

I don't know if you watched or stayed up and watched Portugal-Colombia.

So they played down in Miami, and the entire stadium was Colombians.

And it's just a party.

How did that defeat go down in America?