20230714 Raven Newsletter

July 14, 2023

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers filled with a Nasty Case of World Cup Fever. The 2023 World Cup is less than a week away. Our US Women will attempt to “Chicago Bull” it and Three-peat. This promises to be the largest World Cup, with a lethally deep field, and the most commercial possibility. I am elated that I will be watching every game, every team, every Sam Kerr-backflip with the truly great Sam Mewis 🇺🇸. World Cup winner. Human force of nature, the pride of Hansen, MA. I adore Sam. In a way, I am gutted for her – she is not only injured, but poor Sam has inexplicably agreed to spend the next month with me, Twitching games LIVE (with Becky Sauerbrunn 🇺🇸 also joining us 👀,) podcasting, and doing live GFOP tapings on the regs with you all. An agony. I jest. I jest. Sam and I started taping our World Cup previews which will start to drop Monday and Tuesday next week. Her personal analysis of the players and the teams is an honor to listen to. She is also Proper Funny.

For more, the iconic Nancy Armour wrote a really great profile of Sam Mewis and our World Cup plans here. 🦅

I could not be prouder of the team we have put together for the World Cup which includes Becky, Legendary Chelsea manager Emma Hayes 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿; Canadian forward Janine Beckie 🇨🇦, who is missing the tournament with a torn ACL; former England captain Casey Stoney 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 of the San Diego Wave; and Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall 🇸🇪. I remember when MiB started I had to beg ESPN to let us cover the Women’s World Cup. They ultimately signed off on a single weekly podcast. The world has come so far since then, and the Women’s Game has progressed at such a rapid clip. Yet, I do not take it for granted to be able to create coverage with a team of this quality. It is your passion and support that makes all of this possible dear readers, and I am indebted to the very core of my being. You can read about all our plans for this summer’s Women’s World Cup HERE.

Our comprehensive World Cup coverage kicks-off with our four-part World Cup Preview Podcasts with Sam which drops next Monday and Tuesday. Watch the Pod feed. Let’s Do This.

b. I am also really proud of our NEW The Women’s Game Newsletter, written by the inimitable Meg Swanick. Our goal is to deliver a concise, intelligent framing of every day of football during the World Cup so you can maximize your viewing pleasure. If you like this newsletter, SUBSCRIBE TO THE WOMEN’S GAME. And if you’re already subscribed, please do us a favor and forward it to a friend. It helps more than we can say.

The Women's GameWeekly newsletter covering the world of The Women's Game from Men in Blazers Media Network

c. One more quite magical note. That Great American Tim Ream has joined the MiB Media Network with his podcast The American Dream🇺🇸 I admire Tim so bloody much. His career has become a masterclass in tenacity, belief, and patience. To emerge from St. Louis and reach the peaks of World football is one thing. But to experience the season of your career at age 35 -- to have no less an expert than Pep Guardiola admiring your ability — is another entirely. I am thrilled that he is bringing all of that life experience to the Men In Blazers Media Network along with his partner in pod, Steve Schlanger. This show has so much to teach our audience -- both about football – and the world outside of it. You can listen to Episode 1 of The American Dream here in which you truly get a sense of what the off-season is like for a Premier League footballer. The fascinating thing about this episode is Tim talks through the custom fitness plan that Fulham created for him (it is… intense) and how he managed to complete it while on a family vacation at Disney World. Plus, Tim’s thoughts on the USMNT’s summer and Messi to MLS. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST HERE. It is on a different Pod feed than ours, so make sure to subscribe, subscribe, subscribe (and share!) to listen.

2. Pulisic arrives at, and signs for, Milan. CP10 now CP11 🇺🇸🇮🇹

Our boy will wear Zlatan’s No. 11 after arriving for $26M to be reunited with Beard Daddy Olivier Giroud. A fresh start. A chance to thrive again at a club who needs him, and will give him playing time. We forget, because it often feels like Christian has been around forever, but our gent is still only 24. Like The Smiths once sang, he is human and he needs to be loved. Most Chelsea fans view his legacy in England as a disappointment. Scratch the surface of any American fan and they can give you 97 statistics and reasons as to why that was not the case. What Christian does at Milan can either re-write that entirely and prove this was just a kid who needed consistent playing time to thrive, or reinforce the dark narrative. The English media are full of talk of “reviving” a career. I am more interested in how long it takes until he starts to speak English with an Italian accent. 🤌🤌🤌

More: How will Christian fit in in Serie (US)A? Where will he play under that bald king Stefano Pioli? So many questions abound about our gent as he heads to the land of pinched fingers and pecorino. We broke it all down this week with The Athletic’s James Horncastle, a gent who lives to cover Italian football. 🚨IT IS A MEN IN BLAZERS YOUTUBE EXCLUSIVE. 🚨

And to stay up to date on all of the latest comings and goings of our American gents this summer, subscribe to our American States United Newsletter by the magnificent King Randy Kim. Everything you need to know about what subscription service you’ll need to watch the boys next season. SUBSCRIBE.

American States UnitedWeekly recaps of our American Men and Women on foreign shores

And for a global view on the transfer window (with plenty of American news sprinkled in), SUBSCRIBE to Fabrizio Romano’s “HERE WE GO” Podcast on the Men in Blazers Media Network. The fastest thumbs in football.

3. Our New Youth Development Series: How can we develop our own Elite Outfield players in this mighty nation on the Regs? 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

This morning, we launched a two-part series on a topic we know so many of you care about so deeply: American Youth Development. The series, “What if Our Best Athletes DO Play Soccer, Presented by Allstate” traces the past, present and future of men’s youth development in this nation. The guests in our first episode: none other than Tyler Adams - who had to travel four hours round trip just to seek out elite games when he was coming up - and Jesse Marsch, a gent who has seen nearly every iteration of American talent cultivation first-hand and who can truly compare it to how it stacks up against Europe. FIRST EPISODE IS OUT HERE. The second installment with Rusty Aaronson - father of Brenden and Paxten - and the Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtin drops tomorrow.

4. Fools Gold Cup: US Crash Out. A Nation Mourns Yawns

Sod the Gold Cup, amirite? What does it prove? Who has the best third and fourth string in North America, Central America, The Caribbean and Qatar? It was honestly hard to watch our squad – which was like some kind of Minotaur creature ripped from Roman Mythology – half youth team, half beat-up old fringe players – lose to Panama on penalties on Wednesday night. Karma coating Matt Miazga after his frankly pathetic attempt to trash talk the Panamanian penalty taker who followed him in the shoot-out. Congratulations to Panama who deserved the win and a first appearance in a final in a decade. They will play Mexico on Sunday night.

This is the first time the United States has not made it since 2015. And yes, we lost to a Van Halen song. I felt for Matt Turner who gave his all in electing to lead this team. I also have huge love and thanks to BJ Callahan who stepped in when our nation needed him, and made this awkward month feel like a joyful “Hot BJ Summer.” He told journalists he would like to stay on with the team in any capacity as Gregg now returns to take the reins.

The big note is this: What is the Gold Cup for? Playing it a week after the A-Squads battle for the Nation’s League has made the tournament feel like a lost soul. The United States fielding a grim journeyman-raw youth prospect mixed bag of a squad is an echo of that. What is the purpose of this thing? What is the point? I would honestly de-Miazga it and make this a full U-23 squad and let our next generation experience an entire tournament journey in the spotlight. Come on you Fighting Caden Cowell's.

More: A reminder that you can listen to Rog’s sit down with BJ from right after that Nation’s League victory RIGHT HERE. A really human conversation where you get a sense of the man who was thrust onto the throne while helping his daughters prepare for a weekend lacrosse tournament. BJ doesn’t play games, he pounds beers.

5. Some Great Reads on Women’s World Cup

ii. England are one of many teams who arrive battling their own Federation. While we'd love for this tournament to be all about football, in talking about the women's game right now, we are inextricably going to have to talk about the fight for respect and the battle for equality and basic safety. Jamaica, Canada, England, Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, Spain, France and more have all been embroiled in various degrees of conflict between players and their federations. This is a massive subtext to the whole tournament which has to be watched through a split lens. Here is England’s insanity.

iii. One of the most remarkable American stories of this tournament will take the field for Ireland. After an eight-year break, Sinead Farrelly is World Cup-bound having overcome injuries from a car crash and acting as a whistleblower in the NWSL to make a remarkable comeback.

iv. Ada Hegerberg has long been one of my favorite players. Her Ballon d’Or winning football on the field, and her brave fight for equality off it. I was genuinely honored to spend some time with her last week talking about this incredible moment as she returns to the World Cup with Norway, having sat the last one out in her fight for change. Please give this inspirational human being a listen. 🇳🇴

Talisman Caps to get you ready for the Women’s World Cup 🏆

You can support The Great Horan and all the other USWNT players with the GFOPs over at Talisman and Co. from St. Paul, MN who have a USWNT line of caps in partnership with the USWNT Players Association ahead of the Women’s World Cup. Grab one HERE and support our World Champion Women.

6. Dele Alli is incredibly brave. This interview is remarkable

Must-Watch: Dele Alli opens up about his mental health struggles, addiction, and a childhood filled with abuse. We often forget footballers are human. This interview is hard to watch, but impossible to ignore and Dele is so courageous for speaking like this.

Men in Blazers x Bud Light Sweepstakes - Exclusive Prizes for GFOPs 🍺

You’ve long known about the GFOPs at Bud Light’s support of the game we all love. Now, they’re giving us the chance to give away some exclusive prizes only to those of you reading this newsletter. Entering is easy: just head to budlight.com/MIB to enter for your chance to win signed gear, exclusive Bud Light merch, and more.*

7. More Football, Did Ya Say?

ii. Could UEFA rebel against FIFA? When? How? With whom?

iv. Magical to witness: 91 Year Old Everton fans with dementia still belts out Everton tunes. Reminder that sports memories are often among the deepest ones we make. 💙

8. Wrexham’s Invasion of the United States is one of the most Magical Stories of the Summer 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

So much Football taking place in the United States this summer. One of the most remarkable feats: Wrexham going coast to coast for their USA Invasion – a national tour in which the League 2 side will play – amongst others – Manchester United and Chelsea. I am fascinated by this Wrexham phenomenon. It is very, very real, and everyone from MLS to Todd Boehly are no doubt looking at the mechanics which have led to worldwide passion for this team who have become a genuine Big Little Super Club. I am interviewing manager Phil Parkinson this morning and will dig deeper on this. A gent who will pit his tactical mind against ETH and Poch before mounting an assault on League 2 Promotion. It is joyous. It is complex. It is, as striker Elliot Lee admitted in an interview this morning, a place where “the surreal becomes the norm.”

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9. Not Football, and All the Better for It

i. James Marsden Should Win the Emmy For Playing James Marsden. He should also be given retroactive Oscars for his work in Enchanted and Hairspray (2007, what a year). I will die on this hill.

ii. Another monster piece from The Atavist: THE ROMANCE SCAMMER ON MY SOFA. The kind of article you are glad there’s an option to listen to as well.

iii. The fact that this is in Thailand and not the US is frankly a case for the State Department 'This Is Wild': Internet Is Losing It Over Burger King's 20-Slice Cheese Sandwich.

iv. When I die, I too would like to be remembered for all of these things: Tom Cruise, anti-imperialism and zero body-fat: Bruce Lee’s legacy 50 years after his death.

v. The first trailer for the Wonka movie just dropped. Hugh Grant’s agent deserves all the Oscars for imagining this role.

vi. Rob McElhenney is such an incredible life force. Rob McElhenney on Being Diagnosed With 'Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Learning Disabilities': 'You’re Not Alone'. I admire Rob greatly.

vii. What not to eat when it’s hot out. It gives me no pleasure to reveal the answer does not include tubs of Van Leewuen Honeycomb ice cream for every meal.

ix. The Kids Are Alright: 50 years ago, teenagers partied in the Bronx — and gave rise to hip-hop. As anyone who has read my memoir knows, my teenage parties were never this productive.

x. From Seed to Centre Court, Tending to Wimbledon’s Strawberries. Who looks after one of sport’s most iconic snacks? By GFOP Jack Williams. Now do Goodison pies.

xii. I adore the brand Universal Works. Based in Nottingham. They have resurrected a ton of post-industrial designs and resounded them in traditional British fabrics. I could not love them more. And they are currently running a large Sale.

xiii. So many of you want to know what I think about Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs. I feel like I write a response to that every week. Though I did like GFOP @maxdad1112’s framing when he tweeted at me “I need your take on Luke Combs cover of “Fast Car.” It feels to me like Everton is trying to cover Arsenal’s Invincibles.” I have been pretty clear. Tracy Chapman’s debut album is the greatest of all time. I even have a painting of it in my living room. To my ear, any cover of it is like watching Bob Ross paint a copy of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Nice enough. But unremarkable. This piece in the Washington Post about the complexity of this cultural moment though is genuinely fascinating. I just want Tracy to come on my show before I leave this world.

xiv. I LOVE THIS SONG: Bob’s Casino by Grian Chatten. Tired duets are the best duets.

That is it for today. I want to raise a final glass to Milan Kundera’s Passing. Some life. I read Unbearable Lightness of Being at a really tough moment in my late teens, and it anchored me. I loved the quote “There is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels with someone, for someone, a pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echoes.” When I read that today, I realize, it is the perfect encapsulation of what it means to be an Everton fan.

To better days ahead for all.

Big Love

Courage

ROG

PS: We’re on Threads! Same crap as always but without being forced to watch Fight Haven clips against your will. 💙 FOLLOW US HERE and keep up with all things MiB.

NEW MiB '47 Brand Hats

We’ve launched 3 new hats by the GFOPs at 47 Brand, and they’re great for just about any occasion. Perfect for bald deniers, the haired, and the proudly bald alike. There’s even one perfect for this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

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