Post Major Tournament Blues 😞; It's Olympic Time 🇺🇸

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers filled with the joy of arriving in one of my favorite cities in the world: Portland, Maine. That town of rugged beauty, self-confident re-invention, and my favorite bagels in the world at Rose Foods. This upcoming weekend may be the year’s most barren of live football. So, I have seized the opportunity to come here and decompress after a delirious eight weeks charging around the nation reveling in the Euro highs and Copa lows with so many of you, coast-to-coast.  

I don’t know about you, but I am always gripped by a strange mix of emotions when a massive tournament ends. Sadness, anti-climax, and a sense of “on to the next.” The very second the trophy is lifted, it feels like a journey has ended and its memory is instantly consigned to the past. The end has been revealed. All uncertainty banished. The emotions and personal narratives we connect to the experience are cemented. Mine are of live show beers raised, and rollicking post-match conversations with John Green, Rebecca Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Brendan Hunt and Steve Nash – which are fused with the agony over the United States’ self-destruction and England raising hopes, before shattering them – as well as the agony of losing my Dad. I feel so lucky to have shared all of it with you and would love to hear your dominant memories at [email protected]. 

2. We are headed to VANCOUVER! 🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 

We are hosting WREXHAM AFC LIVE on Thursday, July 25th thanks to the GFOPs at STōK Cold Brew Coffee. I cannot wait to be joined live on stage by a slew of the biggest Wrexham stars, as well as Wrexham Head Coach Phil Parkinson and Executive Director Humphrey Ker to relive the journey so far and all there is to come. This promises to be an incredible night – show starts at 8pm and tickets can be found RIGHT HERE. We can’t wait to raise a coffee with you. ☕️

🎟️ We have also secured a special GFOP 25% discount offer for Wrexham’s upcoming pre-season tour of the USA and Canada. Fresh from sealing their second consecutive promotion into EFL League One, the Red Dragons take on English Premier League giants Chelsea, featuring stars including Raheem Sterling, Reece James, and Nicholas Jackson at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara on Wednesday July 24. Tickets are HERE and use code CALSOC.

Then for the first time ever, Wrexham head to Canada and the hometown of co-owner Ryan Reynolds: Vancouver to face Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Saturday July 27. Tickets can be found HERE and use code WRXWC. On either link click the “Unlock” button and use the code for that game to access the discounted tickets.

Also: Let us know where and what we should eat in that fantastic city. We would love all of your recs [email protected]. 

3. We are ALTCASTERS Now! History made. I think. But let’s claim it anyway.

Thanks to those of you who joined us on Max and TruTV on Tuesday night as Sam Mewis and I traveled to Atlanta to unfurl the first-ever Altcast of a U.S. Women’s National Team game in the history of our nation. I cannot articulate what a blast this was – to watch along with all of you, my friend Becky Sauerbrunn, and the great Lindsey Vonn. My Lord. The format is so immensely fun. The 90 minutes flew by, and even though the result was not what we wanted, to be able to live every beat with you all was genuinely enlivening. 

More: A taste of AltCast Life. Becky and Sam talk about hungover photoshoots post World Cup 2019.

4. The U.S. Women have arrived in Paris. The Olympics are upon us 🥇🇺🇸

It was fascinating to watch the fan reaction after our young Emma Hayes propelled-USWNT were frustrated in a 0-0 draw against a feisty Costa Rica in the sweltering heat of DC. A night of blunt dominance. The inability to finish chances continues to haunt them. One person whom I won’t name tweeted us suggesting Emma “let the USWNT be the USWNT and play their traditional style of direct, fast paced football.” Our team most certainly remains a work in progress, but the days in which we could roll over all-comers with our speed and athleticism are gone. The game has evolved. Spain are the gold standard. They win with tactical intelligence and collective decision making in possession. Emotionally we American fans still see our team as Winners who conquer all invincibly. But the game is now hyper-competitive in a way it never has been before. All three of our group stage opponents – the electric-in-transition Zambia, Flank-threatening Germany, and always-pugnacious Australia, provide true threats. If we keep doing the same thing as we have in the past it will only lead to the same sorry outcome as at the last World Cup. While I worry this Olympics has come too soon for Emma’s “open heart surgery” and “new identity" to take hold, there is no doubt we have so many individual superlative talents in that squad. First game is July 25th. Bring it on.

More: US head for Paris with question marks in attack.

Sam and I taped a three-part preview to the entire Women’s tournament. Episode one drops tomorrow. It is a deep dive into the U.S. Women’s Group B. I am so proud of the dazzling slate of programming The Women’s Game is planning throughout the tournament. In addition to THIS INTERVIEW WITH JENNA NIGHSWONGER and the upcoming Preview Pods, we will have podcasts before every matchday to tell you everything you need to know. And we’ll be Doing it Live on The Women’s Game YouTube channel after every single USWNT match. Subscribe and turn on those notifications so you never miss a video. And a massive thanks to all of the sponsors who are making this possible and investing in women’s football. Michelob ULTRA, Olipop and Allstate. We salute you.  

5. Who will be our next USMNT Manager? 🇺🇸

Only US Soccer Technical Director Matt Crocker knows. With World Cup 2026 careening towards us, the gent who was responsible for the re-appointment then subsequent re-firing of Gregg Berhalter must now lead the biggest decision in U.S. Men’s Soccer history. I have spoken to a number of agents in Europe this week who have told me Crocker is taking meetings over there. We know he is meeting with Gareth Southgate and Mauricio Pochettino. Patrick Vieira just left Strasbourg this morning “by mutual consent.” Ultimately, technical directors often lean on their deepest past connections to help them come to a decision in the present. Crocker worked with Poch at Southampton and Gareth at the Football Association. He has talked about wanting a “habitual winner” — a big name with a big profile, and international experience. The fact England are now looking for a manager at the same time may make the options more complex as we are undoubtedly looking at some of the same candidates and will always be second choice. Let’s remain positive, and keep our heads, and wait for more concrete facts to emerge, please god in short order. The longer this drags on, the more agonizing it becomes. Nature abhors a vacuum. And the World Cup is just 693 days away. 🇺🇸 

More: What next for England in the Post-Gareth World?

More: Nike has rereleased the 99ers World Cup jersey and warmups. Pick yours up HERE.

6. Two games to watch this Weekend?

Scant pickings. But two I can’t wait to watch:

i. The Wrexham-Bournemouth friendly is being shown on ESPN+ on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif.).

ii. 14 years 293 days old-American sensation Cavan Sullivan should be back in action in Philly on Saturday at 7.30 p.m. ET on Apple.

7. A Must-Listen VAMOS, Presented by Michelob ULTRA

This week, our mate and host of VAMOS Herc Gomez unleashed an absolute must-listen episode on the Copa America Final Fiasco in Miami. Herc lived this tournament nightly. And this week, he dialed up his mate Felipe Cardenas from The Athletic for a firsthand account of the terrifying scenes at Hard Rock stadium, the events that foreshadowed them, and the possible knock on effects they could have as we hurtle towards 2026. Felipe is a Colombian American and he talks quite beautifully in this episode about the human side of covering this event. LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF VAMOS HERE. We are really proud to have this level of storytelling on our feed.  

8. PrizePicks: Best PP since Peter Pan

Charlie Kipp Writes: We are officially here: the middle of nowhere. The Euros and Copa America are behind us, the Paris Games featuring some of the best women’s teams in the world (and, randomly, 33-year-old Alexandre Lacazette) are ahead of us. Let’s all be honest with ourselves: the sports slate is THIN. If there was ever a time to bond and build some ‘relationship equity’ with your significant other, NOW is the time to do so. But, for those who simply need to find something to keep the sports lights on, PrizePicks has you covered. So we turn to… golf! 

Liverpudlian and proper Everton supporter Tommy Fleetwood is sitting on a less-than-ideal +6 scoreline after the first day of the British Open at Royal Troon (just outside Glasgow, Scotland). Will he make the cut? Your guess is as good as mine - but what we DO know is that Liverpudlians do not go down without a fight. To that end, we like Fleetwood to come out swinging tomorrow and to record MORE than 2.5 Birdies on his round. Playing links-style golf is what Tommy was raised on, and with the pressure mounting to record a first-ever major win for the 33-year-old - he won’t let a moment like this go to complete waste. We’ll be back to the football before we know it, but until then - let’s enjoy the reprieve and rock with our guy Tommy Fleetwood, MORE than 2.5 Birdies.

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

9. Not Football and All the Better for It

i. If the task is teaching millions of children who lives in a pineapple...25 years in, SpongeBob SquarePants is succeeding where The Simpsons has failed.

ii. This is a tearjerker: Inside Nate Robinson's silent battle -- and his fight to live.

iii. Oh to walk around an Atlanta graveyard with Winona....How Winona Ryder Made It to the Other Side.

iv. So-called 'expert' says we shouldn't treat our pets like children. So help me, if this means Mr. Sniffles can't get into a good kindergarten...

v. Making the Band: An Oral History of the Livestrong Bracelet. Put on some Avril Lavigne and the "Desperate Housewives' premiere and it's 2004 all over again.

vi. The 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. I heard that Encyclopedia Blazertannica was No. 101. We'll get 'em next century. 

vii. People are obsessed with this weird pizza box. The company behind it won’t discuss it. I need a(t least! a) three part Netflix series breaking down the origin of this pizza box.

viii. Life as a Minecraft character: This crystal fragment turns everything you see into 8-bit art.

ix. He’s 77, an Olympic legend and just made a hip-hop jazz album. We need a talent redistribution system in this country.  

x. The Secret, Magical Life Of Lithium. My Lithium knowledge just increased "by a factor of 100 septillion".

xi. A Song I Love because it is about this City: Portland, Maine by Donovan Woods.

Thanks again to all of you who have written to me in the wake of my father’s passing. I am still wading through the responses but I wanted to share a beautiful line from my friend John Deschner who sent me these lines from the Roman philosopher Lucretius which I really loved:

“From sense of grief and pain we shall be free;

We shall not feel, because we shall not be.

Though earth in seas, and seas in heaven were lost,

We should not move, we only should be toss’d.”

John wrote: “I love the idea of someone you love being freed from all the weight of existence and finding rest.” It gave me so much comfort and I wanted to share it with all of you who have been so kind and thoughtful.

I have to go and eat at one of my favorite restaurants in America, Cong tu Bot, and I am so excited. Portland, I could not love you more. 

To better days ahead for all.
Courage.

ROG