Is there like one specific match you remember in your time over here? That's really just like above them all.

Yeah.

Um, Yeah, it's like a game and a bit.

It's like one substitute appearance going into a start.

So I remember when I first got here, it took me a while to get my visa sorted.

And then I'd play a couple of second team matches, you know, reserve team games.

It wasn't no MLS next pro then.

Yeah.

He's gonna be okay moving forward?

I feel like he'll be fine.

Um, when you hear the word knock, you're, you're less worried.

If it was just a muscle injury or he does it with no, you know, contact, then you start to worry.

A knock, you see him icing it, there's four days to recover.

I wouldn't worry.

If I was a French fan, though, I might have a little, little scare there.

You moving on?

Mm-hmm.

Nervous.

The man's been dragging the team by the scruff of the neck through this tournament.

But if it's a knock, he'll be all right.

You get those all the time in games.

You know, you see him icing it on the bench.

I think he'll be good, but I'm not behind those walls.

Mm-hmm

Mm.

It's hard to argue with, you know, the pay to play.

Uh, for me it's stunting the growth.

Yes, stunting, but not stopping.

I, I don't like the word fix.

And there's, I don't think there's too much of a problem to fix.

If we look at the new, the US squad, they get to the quarter finals.

Yeah

But why now? Why, why not just be consistent?

Herf.

We need common sense.

When you're looking at that, that's a regular play.

In a game, they're tussling for the ball.

Flo Balogun's foot hits the back of his calf and it makes it go up and hit.

You know, the studs come down the calf.

To your point on the inconsistencies with VAR, should there be an appeal process?

What would the Golden Boot mean for Messi and his legacy if it, if it transpired in this, in this particular World Cup?

It's a great, it's a great question, Stephen A.

It, it's tough to say.

I don't wanna talk too much for Messi.

I think he's already accomplished enough.

I think at this age it will be really impressive with the players that are in the tournament, Haaland, Kane, Mbappe.

But I think to me, it shows more the mentality.

... performance?

How, how do you believe they should handle him today?

Yeah.

First of all, Cristiano Ronaldo, a superb player, o- one of the greats.

For me, I think I would start him off the bench.

It's, it's more difficult for Roberto Martinez, the Portuguese, uh, Portuguese coach, to have that conversation.

But I think if you're getting Ronaldo in the last 20 to 25 minutes when the back line of the opposition is tired, I think you'll get the best out of him.

You let Gon- uh, Gonzalez, uh, Ramos go, make those defenders tired, and then let Ronaldo do his magic.

Mm.

And look at him go.

Still younger than me.

Listen, if you want to sell the game of football, you just show them Leo Messi.

The first goal is brilliant, breathtaking.

Once he gets on that left foot, it's over.

Too much technique, too much precision.

The man is a genius.

And you can't help, your breath is taken away watching Mbappé.

I mean, how would you put into context that man at his age doing what he did last night?

Freak of nature.

Messi's one of those players, a lot of players are, are good because they rely on pace, strength.

Messi relies on his, his footballing ability, quick feet, and his football IQ.

So while other players slow down, he gets wiser, he gets smarter.

He knows the positions to pick up.

And when he does pick up those positions, get the space, he will punish you every time because he has so much quality.

Yes?

Was it luck or was it Spain underestimating them and completely taking them for granted?

I think a little bit of underestimation.

I think they thought they would turn up.

After 15 minutes of trying to break them down, they'll get a goal.

What Spain need to understand, though, for me, they don't have a killer up front, and I think this, you know, will open the eyes of a lot of teams in the, in World Cup because they squandered so many chances, Stephen A., that you should be putting away.

I don't think they have a killer up front, Spain.

He's been dominating the MLS, but do you expect him to still be dominant on the World Cup stage?

Classic permanent shake.

What are the expectations for France?

France are the favorites.

Tricky game for them, though.

If you know anything about soccer, France and Senegal, very close as a rivalry there.

A lot of the Senegalese players would have grown up in France.

They would know a lot of these French players, probably friends with some of them.

So they know what France are trying to do and what their strengths are.

And how much Messi has left? Is he still, I mean, he's maybe the greatest player of all time.

What is it about this matchup that leads you to believe the United States would have the upper hand?

I think all around the United States have a better team.

They have better players.

Having said that, it's not a given that they go and win.

I think the problem for the United States will be Australia in transition.

So then when the United States have the ball, if they don't score early, when Australia attack and the United States are not in the defensive structure, the pace could hurt them.

But other than that, if they score early, I think it's going to cause huge problems for the Australian national team.

How have you experienced this insane Knicks run to a championship? I'm sure people in your neighborhood, et cetera, are cheering for them and loving

Why, why didn't you want to play international football?

Why is this never got, like, I didn't wanna p- I didn't wanna play at the time because I got older, and I had to think about, right, my legs are, my legs are starting to maybe give up.

So I've got, I can't be playing for Red Bull, flying to, to play with Jamaica, come back, play well for Red Bull.

I just...

I was, I was 33 at the time, when I was, t- 32, 33 when I was talking to the Jamaican national team, and there was one time we actually tried.

I got hold of my nan, rest in peace.

Um, through my dad, we're speaking.

What does this World Cup mean to the US?

[laughs]

... new Performance Center, I promise you, I wanted to put my boots back on.

I wanted to be a professional again.

And I think that's probably what it's gonna do for the, the academy and the, and the young first team players in the squad now.

You can't not wanna go to that place.

You can only get better in that place, with those facilities.

I wouldn't leave.

And, and what's new and different this year for you?

Yep.

Just a team that everyone wouldn't expect to do well, but when you actually watch this team, you can see they're well-coached.

They have players that are not stars in the league, but are now making themself into stars because they've got quality.

They've benefited off just a year of being left alone, you know, not being that team that everyone's talking about, and they've just grown as a team.

Um, beautiful to watch, honestly, play some lovely football.

And then the guys are grinders because they're not superstars.

There's no big DP on that team.

And very much that's the signs coming out of Inter Miami, right, Bradley?