A Poch Below the Rest 🇺🇸🇵🇦

Hail GFOP! 

I write with fingers trembling in a hotel right behind LAX at four o’clock in the morning, in the aftermath of attending last night’s USMNT self-immolation against Panama at So-Fi. As they always say, “Everyone has a plan, until they get CONCACAF'd in the mouth.” And this was some humiliation for all of us who live and die with the USMNT. A game won in exclamation point fashion by Panama with a 94th-minute sucker punch of a strike, then celebrated in incredible style that will be remembered for the ages and is being viewed all over the football world this morning. Everyone loving it and laughing at us.  

The honest truth is this: this was a trap game. And we flung ourselves straight into that trap with naiveté and without fight. That is what hurts the most. The United States played devoid of collective hunger, leadership, and the relentless winning mentality that have been hallmarks of Mauricio Pochettino’s football at its best, and were humbled as a result. This is where we are right now. In a week in which our manager has floated the idea we may be a number one side in the next 10 years, a nation with a population of less than five million people has eliminated us from two tournaments on home turf, within a year.  

Come at the Canal and you best not miss. All I could think of as I watched the delirious Panama fans celebrate with Thierry Henry behind the net: Gregg must be loving this. 

ii. The one American winner was So-Fi Stadium. It was beautiful to experience football there. I went down to inspect the grass, flown in from Lake Moses in Washington State, before the game and it was stunning. Maybe our players were confused by having to pass on an American field that was not cutting up beneath their feet. But So-Fi was amazing and it made me believe that Los Angeles, the first American city to host a World Cup game, is going to win the tournament. I could not be more excited to come and eat all of that Roscoe’s fried chicken.  

iii. One more reflection on last night: If this was a normal football nation, the response this morning would be a tabloid trial by fire. A fan fury turned up to 11. But, perhaps the most agonizing part of the defeat, was to see, 447 days before the World Cup kicks off on our shores, the near-empty stadium that greeted our team at kick-off and the cheers from the majority Mexican fanbase at the final whistle. The wider American sporting audience is shrugging. Most were too preoccupied with Drake clipping Mizzou in March Madness to even notice. 

P.S. I will go LIVE on YouTube with my friend Sacha Kljestan after Sunday’s Canada rumble which kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET. Come and join us at the Final Whistle Sunday on YouTube. Subscribe, turn notifications on, and make sure you get an alert when we begin. 

Be in touch with everything and anything via [email protected]

Courage.
ROG

This Week at MiB HQ 📡

OK. Let me lift your spirits with something lovely that made me feel good yesterday. I heard Michigan basketball center Danny Wolf in an interview and he said, “The highest form of wisdom is kindness,” and I could not have loved it more.

ii. This week we rang up 450 days until World Cup 2026 kicks off. I know I am not alone in being shocked by how little noise there is about the tournament in general, and our USMNT in particular. We rang up the milestone by posing with that King of Nacogdoches Swagger himself. Send us your posts as we countdown. We got to get the word out with humble but mighty Sharpie signs. Here was Day 449. Get hyped. 🏟️

iii.  Next week we head to Atlanta, the city that Brad Guzan built, to do a live show at the bar you loyal GFOPs voted as America’s Best Soccer Bar, 2024-25: The Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points. Rory Smith, the Crown Prince of Harrogate himself, is flying out to be with us for a live show taping. Lock up your Waffle Houses, we are coming for all your smothered and covered. I genuinely cannot wait to be with you. 🍑

iv. The highlight of my week came Monday afternoon, taping in person with my great friend John Green, who is undoubtedly one of my favorite human beings in the world. John has a new book out this week, Everything Is Tuberculosis, which is a masterpiece of storytelling and advocacy. The interview, which will be a dedicated MiB television show on Peacock, went deep on John’s experience of Liverpool’s season (he was very careful not to declare victory yet!), as well as the story behind his book. I can’t wait for you to hear it. 📖

Our next guest: Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox coach and Liverpool fan extraordinaire. Email us your questions for that gent. He is, of course, the brother of my favorite baseball player ever, the White Sox King Joey. 

v. Here is the film I shot about my final trip to Goodison Park for the last Merseyside Derby there. It is the most personal piece I have ever made. I hope you like it.  

I want to thank my friends at Christopher Ward for making it possible. I really love their staff, their passion for the club I love, and the quality of their timepieces. If you want one of the watches made out of Goodison Park turnstiles, you can learn more about them here.

To the Football 🍻

USA 0 - 1 Panama: Poch Got Us Playing Like Tottenham, and Not in a Good Way 🍻🇺🇸🇵🇦

We came into this one high on life. Poch musing that, “In five or 10 years, we can be No. 1 in the world,” and promising, “We want to destroy Panama, we want to destroy the next one, and we want to win but destroy.” We left eliminated, in the Natalie Imbruglia position: cold and shamed lying naked on the floor. I did a panel with Clint Dempsey this week and he was asked what he thought of this current squad. To paraphrase his answer, he said something akin to, “We are good, we just don’t know who is going to score the goals, and who is going to save them.”

Clint was a prophet last night. Panama, with an undermanned backline, were organized, robust, and played like a really physical Championship side. I mean that as a compliment. They smothered Christian Pulisic and dared another player to step up and break them down. No one did. It was haunting to see the United States, with 10 minutes to go, lethargically accept the prospect of extra time that never came, and then pay for it. Pochettino’s philosophy of “grinta” –fight – of being willing to suffer more in the pursuit of victory than your opponents, we saw none of that last night. And as we post-mortem the many possible reasons why, that is where the agony kicks in. 😑

More: Clint Dempsey was brutal in his postgame assessment. He called the U.S. performance “an embarrassment.” 

ii. Huge credit to Thierry Henry. His presence at the game, and his star wattage, gave CONCACAF a truly beautiful, authentic human moment that the Panamanians will savor as long as we have Puli’s “Man in the Mirror” celebration. They earned it. They deserve it. 🫂

iii. Canada now awaits. I spent a really interesting hour with my friend Jesse Marsch, that Wisconsin master motivator who has always walked his own path like a footballing Kwai Chang Caine. The Canadians were plucky and hungry and physical against a defensively robust Mexico who scored early and late. This game will be like the 4 Nations Face-Off for the players. I dream of a full stadium. I am braced for another near-empty affair, but I asked Jesse if the geopolitics of the clash mean anything at the end of the interview and I thought his answer was beautiful, “We want to make this about the games, we want to make this about the competitive will, and we want to make this about our journey to be the best we can be.” 🇨🇦

More: I thought this interview with Canada’s Celtic captain Alistair Johnston, who has been linked to so many Premier League clubs, was really beautiful.

📧 Enjoying The Raven? Share it with a friend using this link and check out our other Men in Blazers newsletters here.

More Football, Did Ya Say? ⚽︎

• “How is the rest of the planet’s World Cup qualifying going,” I hear you ask. Here’s your answer.

• This was my favorite piece I read this week. Barney Ronay on Jose Mourinho’s aging identity: maniacally self-serving but essentially unbroken.

• Thoughtful piece on Thomas Tuchel as the stoic German takes the helm at England: A job that turns managers mad. 

• Manchester United’s stadium is not about regeneration. This is what it is about.

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is: 

“For America to wake up to the fact that World Cup 2026 is happening here, it is going to take a _______________”

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

Last Week’s Winner: David Zeller who made me laugh:

The one life lesson I believe we can take from Darwin Nunez is “you either die a villain or live long enough to be Andy Carroll.”

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

PrizePicks: Best PP Since Peter Parker ✅

Charlie Kipp writes: International Break, typically every football fan’s two least-favorite words behind “video review” - but this one feels less jarring because unlike in the fall, when the breaks feel almost omnipresent, this is our first time seeing Poch’s USMNT in over 150 days… and boy, has it gone well so far. Silver lining is that PrizePicks is here to ensure that your CONCACAF Nations League experience is as ramped-up as your typical weekend football consumption. This Sunday, it’s redemption time: Matt Turner MORE in the Saves department.

Turner, the 30-year-old Park Ridge, New Jersey native, was once the perceived heir to the objectively-prestigious USMNT goalkeeping throne. Limited opportunities at club level mean that Turner needs to be at his best for the national team to solidify his spot for next summer’s tournament, ya know - just the World Cup. Despite a moment to forget in the dying minutes vs. Panama, I expect Turner to bounce-back vs. Canada. Matt Turner MORE in the Saves department.

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

Other Games to Wet Your Whistle in This International Break 🌍

World Cup Qualifiers: England vs. Albania (TODAY! 3:45 p.m. ET, Fubo) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇦🇱

New manager Thomas Tuchel takes charge of England for his first game since being appointed back in January. Tuchel’s mandate to take England further than his predecessor begins with two games at Wembley against minnows Albania and Latvia (ranked 65th and 140th, respectively). Harry Kane will remain as captain under his former Bayern manager, while Marcus Rashford returns to the squad after losing his place under Southgate. 14 years separate Newcastle hero Dan Burn and Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly, who both made Tuchel’s squad for their first call-ups. 

Also: Loved this story from Lewis-Skelly about the moment he thought he was getting the call (skip to 3:57). 

Nations League Quarterfinals: Germany vs. Italy 🇩🇪🇮🇹 + Spain vs. Netherlands 🇪🇸🇳🇱

After a goal from Newcastle's Sandro Tonali proved insufficient for the Italians at the San Siro in yesterday's first leg, they travel to Germany looking to overturn a 2-1 deficit and reach the semis (Sunday, 3:45 p.m. ET, Fox Sports). On the other side of the bracket, Spain host Cody Gakpo and The Netherlands in the second leg after the two sides drew 2-2 in Rotterdam (Sunday, 3:45 p.m. ET, Fubo).

You'll need this: The 2024-25 Nations League explained.

Wrexham vs. Stockport (Saturday, 11:00 a.m. ET, Paramount +) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Wrexham return to action after having a rare five days off from league play. Victory last time out against closest competition Wycombe leaves the two sides even on points heading into the weekend (TWIW episode here). Wrexham will end the weekend in second if they get a result against playoff contenders Stockport, as Wycombe don’t play again until the 29th. 

NWSL: Gotham FC vs. Orlando Pride (Sunday, 5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) 🇺🇸

The unbeaten streak begins now! After a decisive 6-0 victory over the Chicago Stars in their first match, 2024 Champions Orlando travel north to take on 2023 Champions Gotham FC. Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amorós will have to do without Mandy Freeman in his backline after the defender picked up a red card against Seattle, bad timing with last season’s top scorer Barbra Banda already in form.

WSL: Man City vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 10:30 a.m. ET, EPSN+/WSL Youtube) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Across the pond, the Women’s Super League hosts a rematch of Wednesday’s Champions League matchup between Chelsea and Man City. City’s 2-1 Vivianne Miedema-powered midweek victory marked the first loss of the Sonia Bompastor era, ending a 31-game unbeaten run that began in May of 2024.

Carry a Piece of Goodison Park with You 💙

Goodison Park is more than a stadium - it’s a theater of dreams, triumphs, and unshakable loyalty. As Evertonians prepare to bid farewell to their historic home, our good friends at Christopher Ward invite fans to honor the emotional highs and unforgettable moments etched into Goodison’s hallowed turf with a timepiece as timeless as the memories it holds. The Goodison Park Watch isn’t just a watch; it’s a celebration of emotional times. Every detail captures the essence of Goodison’s greatest games, from legendary victories to the roar of a devoted crowd. Click here to learn more.

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

• Julian Barnes is one of my favorite novelists. He appeared on our show in 2018 to talk about his love of Leicester City and literary friendship with Roy Hodgson. I loved this piece he wrote about memory and how personal and untrustworthy it is. Everton fans know this but you others should read it.

• The Digital Packrat Manifesto. It's not hoarding, I'm building my MEDIA LIBRARY!

• George Orwell's son, on what it was like to grow up with his dad. Yes, he's weirded out by how often people use 'Orwellian'. No, he's not upset that you're using it wrong. 

• At 95, He’s the World’s Oldest Speedskater. He’s Gunning for 100. What's the German word for the opposite of Wunderkind?

• The inside story of the theft of Blenheim Palace's gold toilet. Honestly, crimes should be punished on a scale of how funny they are. 

• 10 Habits that are making you look older. No. 1: Watching Everton Football Club. 

• This Song Made my Week: “Jimi, Renda-Se” by Tommy Zé. If you have seen the truly stunning Brazilian Oscar winning I’m Still Here, you will not have been able to get this song’s riff out of your head either. Start your day with it and only magical things can happen. Watch the movie too. Best thing I have seen in such a long time. 

• I read this book and liked it: The Names by Florence Knapp. Lovers of nominative determinism will adore this. A wife is commanded by a domineering husband to name their baby son the name Gordon, which has been passed down through generations. In one version she does. In another parallel telling, she chooses the name she loves, Julian. In a third she listens to her young daughter’s wishes and names him Bear. Three very different futures ensue, spreading out with emotional heft over the span of 35 years. The book is harrowingly beautiful. I realize I need less harrowing material in my life right now, instead of more, but it is a stunning narrative. 

Dear Rog... GFOPs Write ✍️

Derek writes: Dear Rog and Team MiB,

I've been a fan of the show and network for years, and find it somewhat hilarious that my first time writing is a response about baldness and not for the football. Proof still that the game is more than a game but a way of connecting people.

I am a proud member of the group of balds. I was among the 30 million Rog believes went bald in 2015 (good year, and also I'm in total agreement with Rory on this one: 30 million seems a bit off). I was 28 at the time and working on graduate studies in mathematics education, where one of my research projects involved recording math students during a problem-solving task. I had the camera positioned over a set of desks so I could see their work, gestures, and interactions, and also the gigantic bald spot that I was totally unaware of having formed on sectors 3.4 and 3.5. That was all I could focus on when trying to analyze the way my students had worked the problems and I confronted my wife for not telling me. Her response, "How could you not know? And you're nearly a foot taller than me so I never see your head from that angle." I shaved it off that evening and never looked back. 10 years on and I'm a willing butt to all my children’s jokes, and recently welcomed my younger brother to the club (he still made it to his 30s).

Wishing you and the GFOP who triggered this call good health and as much high spirits as can be mustered. I'm left thinking about a line from your interview with Matthew McConaughey about football being an invitation that transcends languages and cultures.

Courage and love,

Derek

Rog writes: Derek. I loved your letter. It was one of many bald narratives that have started to be dispatched our way. I am fascinated by baldness. It is such a moment of profound identity change and reveals so much about the human condition. The belated realization genre like yours is always interesting. A lot of people find out when they see themselves in a photograph from behind and are like, “Who is that bald bastard… wait… is that me? AM I THE BALD BASTARD?” So I do realize it can be shocking. I hope you approach all challenges in life with such ease, and I love your wife’s reaction. Tough love is the best love!

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