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March Madness in the FA Cup 🏟️

Plus: more on the USMNT's lost weekend.

March 28, 2025

Hail GFOP! 

I type with fingers still bruised after watching the Nations League hurt the U.S. men as badly as The White Lotus has damaged Duke University. Thank God we got ourselves some March Madness to make the pain go away. And by that, I mean, it’s Elite Eight time in the FA Cup, and I am rooting for the American boys at Palace and Bournemouth. All that, and some more on the U.S. disaster class, in this newsletter to come. 

ii. Truth is, the perfect antidote to the Nations League agony was the opportunity to travel to the magical, smothered-and-covered Kingdom of Atlanta and meet so many of you while taping a live show with Rory Smith, in the flesh, at our freshly anointed Soccer Bar of the Year, the Brewhouse Cafe. It came as no surprise that an Atlantan bar was our winner. That city, with its passionate fanbase, has truly established itself as a beating heart of the game in the United States. I adore Atlanta as both a city, and a football culture, and cannot wait to be back, hopefully to watch some Club World Cup wonder this summer. 🏆

iii. To have Rory Smith fly over to make his American stage debut taking your questions made it a profoundly meaningful night. To be able to sit late night and have him meet our team, in person, over a party-sized order of Lemon Pepper Wet at J.R. Crickets was to really feel alive. I took Ror to one of my favorite breakfast places in the nation, Homegrown, the next morning for some chicken and waffles, and then he jumped a train to Decatur, GA – sole reason being, we have had letters from that town read out on the podcast and he wanted to check it out. Thanks to all you listeners who made his trip over here so very special. And to our friends at Michelob Ultra for partnering on the awards, which were given out to the 100 top soccer bars across our nation. 23,000 votes flooded in. You GFOPs are the best. To more, much more. 🍻

iii. Welcome back, baseball. As a Chicago White Sox fan, I am both elated that there is no relegation in MLB and also so ready to be hurt again. This tweet from GFOP Patrick Roth – a fellow Everton and White Sox fan – made my week. All of my kids are Everton and Sox fans. I truly believe there is no better training to prepare to face up to the ugly realities of real life. Bring on another 100+ loss season. Character building. ⚾️

iv. We are off to Bournemouth next week to film with Andoni Iraola and Tyler Adams. The Golden War Cherries have thrilled me this season – Bill Foley’s prediction that he will take them to Europe and the mockery that prediction received. Now, Foley has them on the cusp. To capture that kind of story is why we exist. There is so much collective human joy in it. If you are over there in Dorset, come and say hello. 🍒

News from MiB World HQ 📡

I am elated our conversation with Ed Sheeran is out in the world. I found it so moving to talk to Ed about his fandom of Ipswich Town and how it has become ever more central in his life. I asked him to describe the joy of it for him and I think his answer gave us words to live by. Human truths. See the whole of Sheeran here. 🚜

ii. I am so thrilled my friend John Green hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestsellers list, he is one of my favorite people in the world. I am in awe of his latest book, Everything is Tuberculosis. When he was in New York, he popped in to talk about his new work, as well as his experience of Liverpool's epic journey and what a potential title could mean for the club and its fanbase. You can watch our full conversation here. 📖

iii. Over at The Women’s Game, Sam welcomed Lynn Biyendolo back for another excellent episode of Good Vibes where they talked about Sam’s visit with the NC Courage, along with the NWSL teams that have surprised them and disappointed them early on in the season and they give their initial reactions to the USWNT roster for the friendlies against Brazil. To make sure you don't miss anything from The Women's Game, sign up for our TWG newsletter. ⚽️

iv. Lastly, our good friends over at London Is Blue just released an excellent video about Bluesday – a celebration of Chelsea football club, Mardi Gras, and the community and joy that both of those things bring in one the greatest cities on Earth, New Orleans. Have a watch - even if you’re not a Chelsea fan - and make sure to have a snack handy because there is a lot of talk of delicious food. Anyone else craving jambalaya suddenly? 💙

To the Football 🍻

Let’s relish this FA Cup weekend filled with wonder. History beckons: Of the quarter-finalists, only half of them have won the big-eared cup before. Of the rest, Palace have lost two finals, while Brighton and Fulham have reached one and lost one. Bournemouth have never even reached El Finale. Manchester City, of course, win everything, always, but Nottingham Forest last won in 1959, Aston Villa in 1957, and Preston North End way back in 1938 when Roy Hodgson was still a young man. Not since 2013 have both the domestic cup competitions been won by teams from outside the "Big Eight.” Fresh, new blood.

Good read: Why this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals are a once-in-a-generation event.

Fulham vs. Crystal Palace (Saturday, 8:15 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Antonee Robinson vs. Chris Richards - choose your fighter! Great news for Palace fans: Jean-Philippe Mateta has healed after that shocking on-field assault from Millwall’s goalkeeper, Liam Roberts, which left him requiring 25 stitches to an injury to his left ear. The French goal machine will wear Le Mask, but is back after just under a month of recovery. May he play without fear. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Palace on penalties. Please don’t take one, Chris Richards. My heart!

Brighton vs. Nottingham Forest (Saturday, 1:15 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

That great New Zealander Chris Wood is out after sustaining an injury on international duty, propelling his All Whites into the 2026 World Cup. Forest will replace the 18-league-goal scorer (who had a hat trick when Forest pumped seven goals past the Seagulls in February) with Taiwo Awoniyi, who was a potent force in his own right before Chris Wood became CHRIS BLOODY WOOD. Brighton have Kaoru Mitoma – who feared knee knack – fit to start. The Wembley trip for the winner will make a season cut from pure dreams even dreamier for these two surging wonders.

Rogstradamus 🔮: 2-1 revenge for Brighton to heal the 7-0 psychic wound.

Preston vs. Aston Villa (Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Fourteenth in the Championship welcome Champions League quarter-finalists. Preston is a proud old club – one of the founding members of the league back in 1888 – from an old northern textile town believed to have been the inspiration for Charles Dickens' Hard Times. Its claim to fame now is as the proud home of the UK’s first ever KFC. Here is my favorite factoid about Preston: the parents of legendary American outlaw Butch Cassidy lived in Preston before emigrating to America. It was said that Butch spoke with a strong Lancashire accent.

Rogstradamus 🔮: This game smells of Emi Martinez shithousery and a 2-0 Villa win.

Bournemouth v. Manchester City (Sunday, 11.30 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Godspeed you Golden War Cherries for whom this game is everything as they face up to a City merely attempting to salvage a bauble from a humbling season of sorrow. The bad news for Bournemouth: Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen are both suspended. Truthfully, I revere this Bournemouth season even as I mourn its imminent break-up. Kerkez is linked to Liverpool and Chelsea. Andoni Iraola is rumor-milled to Tottenham. Is that meant to be a reward for success, or a punishment for ambition? If City win, the foreboding sense of business as usual will be turned up to 11.

Rogstradamus 🔮: Cherries win via Justin Kluivert penalty.

Impressive: Bournemouth have a spanking new training ground. U.S. owner Bill Foley is transforming that club and the very sense of what is possible for them. 

📧 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other Men in Blazers newsletters here.

The USMNT, as Effective as Ashton Hall’s Morning Regiment 🇺🇸😢 

The smoke has cleared on this shatteringly disappointing international window in which Mauricio Pochettino met the surreal realities of CONCACAF, as I broke down with my friend, Herculez Gomez. 

This was a massive warning shot and reality check for everyone who loves the game in our nation. The honest truth is football has never been more popular, but judging from the paltry attendance and the lack of any real widespread outcry at the results, the USMNT bubble is getting smaller. Between 2010 and 2014 when we started MiB, it felt that the U.S. were on an inexorable climb to footballing relevance. This week, our mailbag overflowed with really thoughtful letters from fans who have pivoted from hope to apathy. Just proclaiming we will be a No. 1 nation in the world within five years most certainly does not make it so.

One more note I have thought a lot about. The narrative that these young players “do not care” about playing for the United States is a really dangerous one. How is that measured or proven? I can attest that the ones I know well care deeply about representing the nation, and their dreams of playing for the U.S. on home turf match those of us, the fans who will be watching. We are 441 days from the kick off of World Cup 2026. It is critical we frame the questions that must be asked about the program, begin to answer them, and build this project.

More Football, Did Ya Say? ⚽︎

Men in Blazers Shop: The Outlet Sale 🔥

Our friends at WorldSoccerShop have launched THE OUTLET and Men in Blazers gear is - of course - included. Grab MiB shirts, hoodies, and hats (for the balds and non-balds alike), but also limited-run kits, shorts, and cleats for those of you who still kick a ball around. No promo codes, no nonsense - just pure, unfiltered savings (50% off or more!).

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is: 

“This week’s Merseyside Derby is going to end with _______________”

Email me your entries. Winner gets a coveted MiB Patch. 

Last Week’s Winner: Bryan Bartel, who made me laugh:

For America to wake up to the fact that World Cup 2026 is happening here, it is going to take a “Boom box rapping team manager leading them out of the tunnel”

Savor the patch, Big Bry. I needed the joy that response summoned more than I can say. 😉

PrizePicks: Best PP Since Peter Pan ✅

Charlie Kipp writes: AT LAST! Just take a deep breath, USMNT fans - save your rage, anger, and dread for another couple months and join me in turning your attention back to club football, which we welcome back into our loving arms this weekend. While Premier League football won’t return until the mid-week, we have a wide-open FA Cup quarterfinal on the horizon - and there’s no better way to catch some FA Cup Fever than with a PrizePicks entry, where you can turn your hunches and insights into cold, hard winnings. My pick? Omar Marmoush MORE when it comes to shots on target.

You don’t need someone like me to tell you about the state of Manchester City right now. What I am here to tell you is the following: deep down, we all know they’re probably winning the FA Cup, right? If Pep’s mob are to keep their SEVEN-SEASON trophy-streak alive, they’ll have to start by beating more-than-just-plucky AFC Bournemouth away from home this Sunday. Spurring them on (to what I think will be victory) is their big money January signing, 26-year-old Egyptian Omar Marmoush. His contribution to the side has been as immense as it has been immediate, and I expect him to be in and around the goal in this one. Marmoush MORE in the shots-on-target department. Book it.

If you haven’t joined PrizePicks, CLICK HERE and use code MiB for a first deposit match up to $100.

More Juicy, Sweet Football to Make Your Heart Sing 🌍

Napoli vs. AC Milan (Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹

Out of the frying pan and into another equally hot frying pan for Christian Pulisic as he returns from the USMNT’s no-good-very-bad international break to a struggling Milan side who face second-place Napoli and crosstown rivals Inter within a four-day stretch. More bad news for Puli and Milan manager Sérgio Conceição: Yunus Musah is out for Sunday’s game after picking up his fifth yellow card against Como. 

Exeter City vs. Wrexham (Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

STOP THE COUNT! Last week’s win against 10-man Stockport has the Red Dragons in second, three points ahead of Wycombe, who have a game in hand. A win in Devon on Saturday will keep Phil Parkinson’s men in the promotion slots for now, but might be easier said than done: opponents Exeter may sit 16th, but are unbeaten in their last six. 

NWSL: Washington Spirit vs. Bay FC (Tonight, 8 p.m. ET, Prime) 🇺🇸

A draw with the Utah Royals and a win over Racing Louisville has Bay FC sitting in third going into tonight’s match up with the Spirit. Hosts Washington cap off a busy week with Trinity Rodman returning to the USWNT squad and the departure of influential general manager Mark Krikorian from the club. 

WSL: Arsenal vs. Palace (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, WSL Youtube) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Arsenal’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid Wednesday marked new manager Renée Slegers’ 11th win since being appointed mid-January. Sunday’s opponents Palace are still waiting on their own new manager bounce – they remain bottom under Norwegian Leif Gunnar Smerud, who joined the club at the beginning of the month. 

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

Dear Rog... GFOPs Write ✍️

Kendall Ruth sent me this scene of remorse. He writes:

“I was recently picking up a bike rack hitch at a local store when a college-aged Carrot Top look-a-like saw my Southampton FC hat and said with concern, “You’re a Southampton fan?” I replied, “Yes, despite their inevitable relegation.” Instead of the usual jibe mockery or “thanks for giving my team some of the best players” (as I was told by a Patagonia Boston store employee who supported Liverpool), he responded with a shared sadness that he was a Manchester United supporter and added, “I may not know your pain but I share your disappointment.” 

Who says shared angst is not a bonding experience? The only thing that would have made it more like a John Hughes film was The Smiths playing in the background.”

Kendall, as an Everton fan, I am all too intimate with your pain. There is a value in sharing it, as C.S. Lewis wrote, “I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silent hurt more.” So the important thing is to articulate your pain and not let it sit deep inside. However, I always say this: if your football team – or any sports team – is the most agonizing part of your life, then things are going pretty, bloody well. So, savor that too. 

Keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

To Better Days Ahead for All.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories,

Big Love,

Courage.

ROG 

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