Feb. 6, 2026

Clemente Lisi returns! 2026 World Cup and the Soccer Hobby E374

Clemente Lisi returns! 2026 World Cup and the Soccer Hobby E374
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
PocketCasts podcast player badge
Overcast podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player iconPocketCasts podcast player iconOvercast podcast player iconCastro podcast player icon
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:07.040
Sports Guard Nation, Hobbies the People, Wheely News and Interviews.

2
00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:13.759
It's your number one soul, Sportscarnations hobby is the people.

3
00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:23.160
Sports gar Nation. What is up, everybody? Welcome to episode

4
00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:28.399
three seventy four Sports Card Nation. I just had an espresso.

5
00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:33.719
I am rearing to go. Clemente Leasi is back for

6
00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:38.960
part two of our two part episode, and today he

7
00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:44.600
is breaking down the World Cup and the soccer hobby market.

8
00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:48.039
No one does it better than Clemente least in the hobby.

9
00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:51.640
This guy wrote a book about the World Cup, which

10
00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:56.079
has been updated. He'll talk about that during today's episode.

11
00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:03.359
But tremendous, vast bastion of knowledge about past and current

12
00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:08.840
soccer and the World Cup is on North American soil

13
00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:12.959
here in the US, I believe at twelve locations, Mexico

14
00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:17.959
and Canada, so many of you listening might be taking

15
00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:22.760
in some of the actions. So that's what today's episode

16
00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:25.519
is going to be about. A little bit longer than

17
00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.879
our typical but I did not want to short the

18
00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:32.000
World Cup. It only comes around every four years, and

19
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:35.000
it doesn't always come around to us here in the

20
00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:40.040
United States. So didn't want to short change this. And

21
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:42.480
so We have a little bit longer episode today, but

22
00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.400
I think you'll find it very interesting. So with that

23
00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:50.680
being said, let's get the show started, all right. Here

24
00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:57.120
is part two of our conversation with Clemente Lasi and

25
00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.719
part one we talked about the NHL and the hockey hobby.

26
00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:04.840
Today we're going to talk uh the World Cup and

27
00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:08.919
the soccer market. And so they're kind of two separate episodes,

28
00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:12.360
so really not really part two, but back to back

29
00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:29.479
weeks of Clemente. So uh, here you go, let's get

30
00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:34.120
into some soccer talk. You know, coming to coming to

31
00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:38.719
the United States, Mexico and Canada, the first time that

32
00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:42.159
it's going to be in three countries at the same

33
00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:46.680
time you mentioned the meat before. It's the most it's

34
00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:50.560
ever been, is too. The field expanding what from thirty

35
00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:56.680
two to forty eighteen, which means more games. Let me

36
00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:59.759
let me your you're you know, soccer is right in

37
00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:03.960
your wheelhouse. Do you like these changes with the expansion

38
00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:07.159
and more teams in the more countries in the field.

39
00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:10.560
It's a good question. My fear is that you may

40
00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:13.919
be watering down the event by bringing in countries that

41
00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:16.919
maybe or not going to be able to hold and

42
00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:19.039
we'll find out. If we get a couple of lopsided

43
00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.280
scores in the group stage, we'll see. Now the rationale is,

44
00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:24.360
you know, the World Cup is for everybody, and it

45
00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:27.199
is fun to see countries who haven't qualified in fifty

46
00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.479
years or sixty years or maybe ever qualify, So that

47
00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:33.599
is fun, you know, Like for example, Haiti is qualified

48
00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:35.400
for the World Cup and they haven't qualified since nineteen

49
00:03:35.479 --> 00:03:38.400
seventy they've only played in one World Cup, so it's huge.

50
00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:40.639
It's a huge thing for a country that's in a

51
00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:42.439
lot of turmoil at the moment. So you have a

52
00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.599
lot of Haitian Americans, so for them it's a sense

53
00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:46.800
of pride. It's huge. But are they're going to lose

54
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:48.719
seven zero to Brazil in the group stage and people

55
00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:50.280
are going to be like, what are they doing here?

56
00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:53.000
You know, and so that's that's that's the that's the

57
00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:56.159
push pull. And for example, FIFA wants more countries from

58
00:03:56.159 --> 00:03:57.800
around the world to be at the World Cup, so

59
00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:00.840
they want more countries from Africa and Asia in South America,

60
00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.479
and that's great, but the number of European countries hasn't

61
00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:06.280
really moved up much. So for example, you could see

62
00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:08.520
Haiti at the World Cup. And there's still four teams

63
00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:10.199
that need to qualify for the World Cup, and one

64
00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:12.840
of those four that could qualify and those four spots

65
00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:15.560
that come March is Italy. We could have a World

66
00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:18.040
Cup without Italy in it, which would be a huge

67
00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:19.439
kind of loss.

68
00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:23.560
That's insane to me. Yeah, I'm half Battalion and like that.

69
00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:26.720
I actually didn't even really, I'm not, just to show

70
00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.399
you how much I know coment. I just assumed they

71
00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:30.480
were in the field already.

72
00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:32.959
No they're not. And so Italy hasn't qualified for the

73
00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.399
last two World Cups, which is already a staggering thing

74
00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:38.240
considering it's a four time world champion, and you know

75
00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:40.040
it's a country shape like a boot, so they have

76
00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:43.600
no choice but to be a soccer powerhouse. But also

77
00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.199
I remember that ninety four World Cup, and ninety four

78
00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:50.560
I'm sure you remember New York hosted the old giant

79
00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:54.759
Staium hosted games, including the famous Italy Ireland game, right

80
00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:57.240
and so, which Italy lost one zero, and all my

81
00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:00.439
Irish fans remind you of that every day. But you know,

82
00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:03.120
you had Italy playing training in New Jersey. You have

83
00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:05.480
a huge attime in American community. So not having in Italy,

84
00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.040
for example, could hurt the tournament. And then you have

85
00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:10.319
Rezbecca stand who was in for the first time. People

86
00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:12.879
are like, why why do we have this? Now I

87
00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.000
understand it's also a political thing, you know, FIFA to

88
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:19.000
maintain its power. Every FIFA member gets one vote in

89
00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:21.959
the presidential election. The FIFA president Johnny and Fantina, which

90
00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:23.480
a lot of people may have heard that name because

91
00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:25.920
it's become like Trump's best friend. He's always at the

92
00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:27.600
White House and I always hanging out. They have like

93
00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:30.920
a romance going. He wants to get elected. He knows

94
00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:33.279
that Italy gets the same number of votes as Haiti.

95
00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:36.040
They get one vote each, and so it does help

96
00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:38.680
to kind of it's like the electoral college of FIFA.

97
00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:42.439
It's nice to dole out, you know, World Cup spots

98
00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:45.839
to countries that are smaller or that never been the

99
00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:48.120
World Cup before because they'll vote for you, and so

100
00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:50.319
that's a power thing internally.

101
00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.959
So he he'll just say, like, this team's inn don't you.

102
00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:58.199
Have no no the qualifying process, but the qualifying process

103
00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:01.439
could be tipped by saying, hey, Latin America, you have

104
00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:04.120
ten countries in Latin America will give you instead of

105
00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:07.519
three spots, will give you seven. So literally every almost everybody,

106
00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:09.439
it's like everybody makes the playoffs kind of thing. And

107
00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:12.720
so so just so you know and the listeners know,

108
00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:16.000
there's two hundred and four FIFA members, two hundred and

109
00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.279
four and only thirty two went to the World Cup before,

110
00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.279
not only forty eight naked, but still two hundred and four.

111
00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:24.600
So do the math. A lot of teams don't make

112
00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:26.199
the World Cup, right, so.

113
00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:28.519
It'll be one hundred or practically that.

114
00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:31.800
Don't make the World Cup and are anticipating that. Why yeah,

115
00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.199
and when that and when those countries are not participating

116
00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:38.120
are I don't know Tunisia, which they're in the World Cup.

117
00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:40.040
Let's say which is in Africa. Let's say they don't

118
00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:41.920
make the World Cup. No one's really gonna notice but

119
00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:44.079
people in that country. But if Italy doesn't make the

120
00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.279
World Cup or in Argentina or Brazil, it's noticeable. People

121
00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:49.480
are going to notice that. And so I'm sure FIFA

122
00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:51.519
wants Italy in there because and I don't want to

123
00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:54.319
harp on Italy. It's become it's become a big controversy.

124
00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:55.680
Now it's it's going from.

125
00:06:55.639 --> 00:07:00.399
Sixty is why they can still qualify? Why don't we

126
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:04.759
know the like in the USA group, there's still one

127
00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:08.360
more team to be now, yes, why why are there?

128
00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:10.759
Why are is still Why don't we know the full

129
00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:13.639
forty eight now? Like, why isn't it?

130
00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:18.240
Because? Yeah, because the qualifying ended in November and they

131
00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:21.519
had a World Cup draw in December, which I'm sure

132
00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:24.680
a lot of people watched, and the issue with that was, oh,

133
00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.000
we still have to play kind of a playoff like

134
00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.519
a play in. Look, it's to create more you know,

135
00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:33.199
it's to create more drama, to have more teams qualifying,

136
00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:36.879
and you have to expand the qualifiers because you know,

137
00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.759
in soccer, national teams are not the only game in town.

138
00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:45.480
Most players are earning their money on club teams Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus,

139
00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:48.560
AC Milan. That's where the game is actually played on

140
00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:51.240
the club level. The national teams is like the Olympics.

141
00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:53.680
This is a kind of a special kind of thing.

142
00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:56.040
So you pointed out correctly, the US is in Group

143
00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:59.399
D with Paraguay Australia, and then it says the winner

144
00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:04.040
of UEFA Path C and it's like, okay, well, what's

145
00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.040
what does that mean? So there's like a mini there's

146
00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:09.279
four teams buying to become that one team. All all

147
00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:11.600
indications point that it will be Turkey. Now they could

148
00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:13.759
be upset and they can lose. If Turkey gets into

149
00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:15.920
that group, the US group will be I think the

150
00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:17.560
US got a pretty good group. I think it's a

151
00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.560
pretty easy group for the US considering they could have

152
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.000
they could have gotten some tough teams.

153
00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:23.680
Let me ask you this, how are the groups who

154
00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:31.959
decides it's US, Paraguay, Australia And is that like? Is

155
00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:33.120
it random? Is it?

156
00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:33.440
Is it?

157
00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:33.799
Yeah?

158
00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:36.679
So it's a good point. So there's something called the

159
00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:39.120
FIFA rankings that come out every month, which are a

160
00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:41.279
little bit like tennis rankings, a little bit like college

161
00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:45.200
football rankings. Every month, based on results, they rank the teams.

162
00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:50.159
The top eight teams are the group leader. Okay, so

163
00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:54.360
for example, like a Brazil, A Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain,

164
00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:57.440
and then you have Mexico, Canada, the US. Those teams

165
00:08:57.600 --> 00:08:59.679
cannot play each other in the group stage. They can

166
00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:01.840
only in a knockout round because they're really good. You know,

167
00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:03.639
you wouldn't want to put Spain in Germany in the same.

168
00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:06.159
They're trying to they're trying to create parody that.

169
00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:07.600
Way exactly, exactly.

170
00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.000
Three powerhouses in one group exactly.

171
00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:14.200
And then you write because it's better for the you know,

172
00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.559
for the for the show to have the better teams

173
00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:18.759
than not. In the knockout stage, then you have with

174
00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:21.840
teams that are in Pot two, Pot three, and Pot four.

175
00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:25.159
So every group is put together. The US is Pot

176
00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:27.840
one and they come out. Then Pot two is like

177
00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:31.919
a Paraguay and Morocco, Japan, whatever. Then you pull them

178
00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:35.279
out and so you end up with So it's it's orchestrated. Now,

179
00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:38.039
when the World Cup was smaller, there was a possibility

180
00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:40.200
that you could get a tough group. But the more

181
00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:43.200
teams that are in it and the more parody you create,

182
00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:46.919
the more water down it becomes. So for example, uh,

183
00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:50.039
it doesn't mean that on paper Germany can win their group,

184
00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:51.919
but who knows. They could be an upset and they

185
00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:54.080
lose to Ecuador, which is the same group as Germany,

186
00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:56.399
and there's an upset that could happen. But you have

187
00:09:56.679 --> 00:09:59.120
you know, you have in in Group E with Germany,

188
00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:02.440
you have a team small island in the Caribbean called Curissa.

189
00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:04.519
They're at the World Cup for the first time. It's

190
00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:06.559
a tiny country. This is the same country that way

191
00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:11.240
Gretzky mis pronounced Caraco during the World Cup draw, which

192
00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:13.559
was kind of hilarious, And I.

193
00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:20.120
Was actually believe Andrew Jones might be from Uh yeah,

194
00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.679
I don't know. Some there is a baseball player, I.

195
00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:25.080
Think that, yeah, and base Yeah, they're good at baseball.

196
00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:28.399
It's a former Dutch colony. It's a vacation spot for

197
00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:30.879
many people. It's a country that people have never heard of,

198
00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:32.840
and they're like, well, they're at the World Cup. Yes,

199
00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:35.000
Italy might not be there, but curis I was there,

200
00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:36.399
so don't worry. Rest assured.

201
00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:39.720
And what is the thing like you not to cut

202
00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.679
you off too, clement De like you mentioned like I

203
00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:44.879
know Italy missed a couple of the last couple of

204
00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:48.720
World Cups. They can make this one. But why do

205
00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:52.799
we not know yet? Like when when the BCS college

206
00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:56.720
football like releases the sixteen teams in the playoffs, they're

207
00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:59.759
all released at one time. Here it is, yeah, you

208
00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:03.879
know college World Series, everyone's playing. Here's the field. Now

209
00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.840
you play. You got out of the region. Why is

210
00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:08.879
it not all known at once?

211
00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:12.600
Because what normally happens is the qualifiers end in November

212
00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:14.519
of the year before the World Cup, and then in

213
00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:17.360
December there's the draw, which happened right in December. We

214
00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:20.519
had the draw, but because there's more teams qualifying, there

215
00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.519
wasn't enough time to get all these teams in. So

216
00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:27.200
what ended up happening is FIFA was like, okay, Europe,

217
00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:31.039
you will have your your playoffs the best second place teams.

218
00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:34.720
Because all only the group winners of the qualifiers qualified automatically,

219
00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:37.519
the best number two teams were thrown in this pot

220
00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:39.480
where they had to basically fight it out. And so

221
00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.919
they're like, you're going to play in March. Because FIFA

222
00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:45.000
has what they call international windows. There is when September,

223
00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:48.320
one October, When November, When in March, when in April?

224
00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:51.000
They have to spread this out. So unfortunately, now when

225
00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.879
I talk to the Panini people, for example, this tripped

226
00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:56.840
them up because Panini was like, we were ready to

227
00:11:56.840 --> 00:11:59.120
put out our sticker book in January, if you know,

228
00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.679
the Speene Stickers World Cup book, which is super popular.

229
00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:03.559
But they're like, we can't do that. We have to

230
00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.799
wait until at least April or May, because we need

231
00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.759
to figure out which four teams are left and then

232
00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:12.279
get them in the book. Now, if you're Panini, you

233
00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:15.519
probably already have, you know, the four teams that make it,

234
00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.279
but there's like sixteen teams left. I'm sure they've created

235
00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:19.840
pages for all of them, and then they're just gonna

236
00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:21.320
throw out the ones that they'll make it and put

237
00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.960
the ones that you know. But that delayed because the

238
00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:27.000
people of Panini America or like people love the Sticker book.

239
00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:29.039
It would have been awesome to have the book out

240
00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.759
in December January, and now we have to wait, and

241
00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:33.919
so it tripped up Panini as well, and then trips

242
00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:36.440
a Panini Prism, which is a big World Cup set

243
00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:38.919
people want to collect. You have to wait until the

244
00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:40.639
World Cup or maybe even have to the World Cup

245
00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:42.360
to be able to sell this box because you want

246
00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:44.000
to be able to get those teams there too. So

247
00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:46.840
it does hurt in terms of cars.

248
00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:50.320
Going back to what happens on the pitch, is it

249
00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:55.320
a disadvantage to a team that qualifies late or an advantage.

250
00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:58.159
Or it's a disadvantage because you're in pot four. So

251
00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:01.240
for example Italy that ended up in the Germany group

252
00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.080
and that's it. Italy qualifies. They could have ended up

253
00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:05.480
in the Germany group or in the Spain group. Now

254
00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:08.480
luckily they ended up in they could end up in

255
00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:12.000
the Canada group, which is super interesting because Canada's first

256
00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:15.200
game would in Canada's a co host Canada would play,

257
00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:18.279
it would be Canada Italy in Toronto. Now that would

258
00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:20.759
be an amazing game considering the Italians live in Toronto.

259
00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:23.720
But Italy has to qualify. It could be another country

260
00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:25.519
and then it's like, Okay, that's not going to happen.

261
00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:30.279
So that that Canada, that Canada versus blank team game.

262
00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:33.080
A lot of people the ticket is the ticket price

263
00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:35.440
are going up on that because it's Canada yet and

264
00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:39.919
their home. Sure, but people could be Italy, Lily, it

265
00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:43.000
should be Italy. Could be Italy and Italy Canada. So

266
00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:45.559
Italy got a Italy. If if Italy were to qualify,

267
00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:47.679
they would get a pretty easy group because they'd been

268
00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:51.080
a group with Canada and Canada. You know, with Qatar

269
00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.279
and Switzerland. It's a pretty easy group for a team

270
00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:55.360
that just snuck in, you know what I mean, as

271
00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:57.759
opposed to like, oh, you're in the Spain group with

272
00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:01.399
Uruguay and Saudi Arabians, gets complicated. They could end up

273
00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:03.279
in the US group, right, which would have been which

274
00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:05.080
would have made the US group all of a sudden

275
00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:08.120
really hard because it's like, great, you know, it's like

276
00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:10.600
we're talking about hockey before. It's like, you know, you

277
00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:12.840
don't you know, a number eighteen could have had a

278
00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:16.519
pretty lousy regular season. But if that team is the Oilers, yeah,

279
00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:18.240
you don't want catch fighting in a bottle. You don't

280
00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.360
want to play them. Yeah in the first round or

281
00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:23.360
even later, you're like, oh boy, so it's interesting, what

282
00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:25.600
could happen? So look, there's still a lot of variables

283
00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:28.279
out there. The groups are made, the eight groups are set,

284
00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:30.919
but there's still a couple of you know, teams need

285
00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:33.720
to qualify for more teams, and then June eleventh you

286
00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:36.240
have the opening game in Mexico City, and then you know,

287
00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:38.720
it's a five week extravaganza. Everyone was what the World

288
00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:40.960
Cup is. I think the World Cup is the biggest

289
00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.000
putting event in the world, but I think it will

290
00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:44.879
be made even bigger by the fact that most of

291
00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:46.480
the games are going to be played in the US,

292
00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.639
and anything that happens in the US is magnified, and

293
00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:52.559
people who are not soccer fans are World Cup fans.

294
00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:55.799
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I would probably fit that description.

295
00:14:56.039 --> 00:15:01.120
I'm not necessarily following soccer all the time. Uh, but

296
00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.799
when the World Cup was played, I watch it. I

297
00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:07.080
watch it, and I'll probably watch even more being here

298
00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.080
that it's we're one of the host country. Is that

299
00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.720
a rule too, If you're the host country, you automatically

300
00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:13.600
qualify that.

301
00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.799
Yeah, so the US, Yeah, the US, Canada and Mexico

302
00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:17.960
automatically qualified.

303
00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:19.879
That's that's that's what I thought.

304
00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:23.440
I want to Yeah. The positive on that is like, well, yeah,

305
00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:25.639
you host it, so you have to be there. But

306
00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:28.080
the negative is you don't play a lot of competitive

307
00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:31.480
games leading up to So Brazil and Argentina and all

308
00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:33.840
these countries how to slock it out to get to

309
00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:37.039
the show. The US didn't have to play games that

310
00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:40.559
meant much, a lot of friendlies, exhibition games. It's hard

311
00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:43.480
to create chemistry, it's hard to create competitiveness there.

312
00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:49.000
So there's a disadvantle tested potentially potentially not now you're

313
00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:50.039
hoping that, you know.

314
00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:53.480
In essence, a national team in soccer is basically like

315
00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:56.759
your all star team. Any American playing anywhere in the world,

316
00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:58.759
as long as they were American syst and can play

317
00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:01.480
for the US. So it's the coaches job to go

318
00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:04.000
out and say, you know what were my best twenty

319
00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.039
six guys were the best players that are American in

320
00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:09.679
the world. You know, the best American player right now

321
00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.279
is Christian Pulsick who actually plays in Italy. He plays

322
00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:15.320
for a Cimalan, which is in of itself an amazing

323
00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.799
thing to have an American player playing professional soccer in Italy.

324
00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:21.919
So that tells you where American players have gone, how

325
00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:24.480
far we've come as a country. You know, twenty five

326
00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:26.480
years ago, thirty years ago at the World Cup in

327
00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:29.159
ninety four, most of those guys were college guys. They

328
00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:31.879
didn't play for anybody. Yeah, a lot's changed.

329
00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.960
So you mentioned tickets and you mentioned like speculating with

330
00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:42.000
maybe a Canada Italy matchup early in Toronto. You mentioned tickets.

331
00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:47.519
Kind of crazy stuff going on with tickets and getting

332
00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:50.360
them and the prices kind of I told you kind

333
00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:52.480
of the save it when you were going to tell me,

334
00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:54.679
but I said, hey, let's save it for the show.

335
00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:58.320
So what's going on when it comes to buying and

336
00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:01.320
being able to buy these tickets so you can watch

337
00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:02.519
these matches?

338
00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.799
Yeah, so it's been a bit of a disaster for

339
00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.440
a couple of reasons. One is that soccer is a

340
00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:11.839
global sport, so people around the world are not just

341
00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:14.640
consumers of soccer. They understand the game, but they also

342
00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:17.880
know that in Spain or in Italy or in Brazil,

343
00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:20.960
they're pretty affordable to go to see a World Cup

344
00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:23.759
in those countries. But even just regular league games, we're

345
00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.920
talking about sixty seventy eight dollars a ticket is considered

346
00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.240
a lot of money in some country. In the US,

347
00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:32.279
we have to understand that people are willing to pay

348
00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:34.960
a premium to go to events. And I saw this

349
00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:37.200
a couple of years ago. Everyone here knows what happened

350
00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:40.480
with Taylor Swift, right the mainia around Taylor Swift, and

351
00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:43.960
the ticket prices mean so much so that it became

352
00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.680
a congressional investigation. So when that happened a couple of

353
00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:48.839
years ago, I remember saying to myself, wait until the

354
00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.839
World Cup gets because if anything's bigger than Taylor Swift,

355
00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.359
it's the World Cup. Okay, And the World Cup came

356
00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:58.079
and everyone around the world, it's not just Americans want

357
00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:00.359
to buy tickets. People around the world wan by tickets

358
00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:02.640
because they'll fly anywhere. If the World Cup was in

359
00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.599
North the North Pole, people would fly to the North

360
00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:08.640
Pole to watch it. It's that popular, okay, but people

361
00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:11.680
are not willing to spend what's the cost of these tickets?

362
00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.440
Face value for some of these tickets. We're talking about

363
00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:18.759
two thousand, three thousand dollars for a group stage game

364
00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:22.240
when the price for that should be basically sixty pucks.

365
00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.839
And it's not sixty bucks, it's three hundred dollars.

366
00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:28.480
Who's in charge of the original tickets sale?

367
00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:32.599
I know a lot of these FIFA, So FIFA controls

368
00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:33.559
who's all?

369
00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:34.680
Is it their fault?

370
00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:38.559
Yeah, it's FIFA. FIFA has control. And if FIFA's figured out, hey,

371
00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:40.720
you know what, Americans are willing to pay money, so

372
00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:42.759
we can. It's a cash grab for us. We can

373
00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:45.599
charge whatever we want and people will buy. Now people

374
00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:47.839
around the world are like, wait, why are the tickets

375
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:50.720
three hundred dollars when the finals should be three hundred

376
00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:53.759
dollars not a group stage game that has very little

377
00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:57.480
meaning or could have very little meaning. So FIFA's also

378
00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.680
created a portal where you can resell your tickets, and

379
00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.759
when you resell your tickets, they take fifteen percent, So

380
00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:06.400
FIFA makes out like a bandit here now that they

381
00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:09.400
escalated the prices. I mean they're charging one hundred dollars

382
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:13.240
for parking passes okay, and the secondary market is even worse.

383
00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:18.400
They're selling tickets for five, ten, twenty thousand dollars okay

384
00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:22.119
to go see a final, a quarterfinal, a semifinal. People

385
00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:24.160
in the New Jersey area. Because the final will be

386
00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:27.960
on on July nineteenth at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

387
00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:32.839
People are are airbnbs for that weekend or fifteen thousand

388
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.480
dollars a night. Now, well they get that money, maybe not,

389
00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.319
but people are out. The hotel rooms in New York

390
00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:42.039
are two thousand dollars a night that weekend. Because everyone

391
00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:45.519
knows you want to be at the biggest game on Earth.

392
00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:48.440
It happens every four years. We'll charge whatever we want.

393
00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.359
Now will they get those prices, we don't know. But

394
00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:53.599
if you get a France Argentina final, you may you

395
00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:55.880
may get people who are crazy enough. I mean four

396
00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:58.319
years ago on Qatar and I was there, there are

397
00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:02.319
people from Argentina flu to Qatar, no ticket. They're just

398
00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.279
like I want to be here. The people that told me.

399
00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:06.839
They sold their car to go there. I mean, so

400
00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:10.640
we can laugh about it. It's funny. My fear is

401
00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:12.480
that the real fans will get shut out and that

402
00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.279
people people around the world will do anything to get there,

403
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:18.559
and they'll sell off their car, they'll.

404
00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:20.279
They'll max up the brokers.

405
00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:22.799
Yet they max out their credit card, whatever they got

406
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:25.319
to do to get there, because it's every four years.

407
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.559
It's it's a religion to these people. You know, it's crazy.

408
00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:31.759
But I worry that FIFA is taking advantage of that

409
00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:35.240
because they realize the American market is very and look,

410
00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:37.359
it's be honest. Having the World Cup in America is

411
00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:40.279
great because we have great roads and great hotels and

412
00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:42.920
great facilities. I mean, who doesn't want to come here

413
00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:45.759
on vacation and watch a couple of soccer games, right.

414
00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:48.319
It's nothing. People want to come here, not for even

415
00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:50.079
soccer matches. You just want to come.

416
00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.839
There's a reason for yeah, exactly. And so FIFA knows.

417
00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.440
I mean this past summer they had the FIFA Club

418
00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:58.319
World Cup. You might have heard of that, where you

419
00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:00.839
had all these club teams playing for because basically it

420
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:02.799
was a dry run. It was like they wanted to

421
00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:05.799
see could the stadiums hold up. Could could the US

422
00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:08.240
host a large scale event, you know, give it a

423
00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:10.119
bit of a dry run? And they did fine. I

424
00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:13.039
mean there were some issues with you know, you know,

425
00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:17.319
the ticket prices, because the ticket prices were basically the demand.

426
00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:19.200
If demand went up, the price went up. If the

427
00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:21.799
band went down, the price went down. So some some

428
00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:24.599
World Cup games the price is kind of flatlined. But

429
00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:26.920
for some games, like in the group stage in New

430
00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:31.240
York especially, there's France Senegal and France Norway, two big

431
00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:34.279
games that are happening at met Life in the group stage,

432
00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:36.319
and the tickets for that are in the thousands already,

433
00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.000
even though face value it's about three hundred, which is

434
00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:41.839
already a lot of money. But the brokers now because

435
00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:44.519
once the schedule came out. So just so you're aware

436
00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:47.200
and the listeners are aware, people were buying tickets back

437
00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:50.000
in September. They're buying tickets to games they didn't even

438
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:51.799
know who was going to play. People were paying three

439
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.160
hundred dollars, yeah, people people were playing paying Yeah, people

440
00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:57.960
we paying three hundred dollars to watch Game forty six

441
00:21:58.000 --> 00:21:59.680
at met Life Stadium. Who's going to play in it?

442
00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:04.799
We don't know just to just to exactly. So, so

443
00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:06.839
the whole thing from the very beginning, and this back

444
00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:09.079
started back in September with what they call the visa

445
00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:11.799
pre sales. They have a visa card to be able

446
00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:14.880
to buy tickets and they've had various stages. Now in

447
00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:17.039
New York we have a new mayors or in Mamdani.

448
00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:19.720
He is a pretty big soccer fan. He's complained about

449
00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:23.000
ticket prices. You know, in the past at other World Cups,

450
00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:26.839
FIFA would give tickets away to local people like school

451
00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:29.519
children and because they had to fill the stadiums, right,

452
00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:32.359
and it's also a good will gesture. But in America

453
00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:35.519
between the visitors and the and then we forget how

454
00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:38.119
many people in this country are soccer fans. And if

455
00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:42.079
they're not soccer fans, if Italy's playing at Giants Stadium,

456
00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:44.319
you're gonna go, even if you're you know, half a

457
00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:46.160
talent and you're like, hey, you know, I don't watch

458
00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:48.759
soccer every week, but this is my country, of my people,

459
00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.440
I want to go watch it, right. So there's a

460
00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:54.839
lot of national pride that's attached these teams. So FIFA

461
00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:58.519
knows all this and so hopefully things kind of you know,

462
00:22:58.599 --> 00:23:01.119
loosen the bit. Maybe there's some Maybe there'll be games

463
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:03.640
where there'll be few receipts, maybe gives them away. I

464
00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:06.480
still I'm hoping because you know, back in ninety four

465
00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.519
they did give out free tickets to soccer clubs and

466
00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:12.359
soccer camps, and at the time, FIFA was worried that

467
00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:14.480
the US wasn't a good enough market for soccer. I

468
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:16.519
think we were able to prove them wrong in ninety

469
00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:19.119
four and ninety four is still considered the most successful

470
00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:21.920
World Cup ever because basically every game was a sellout.

471
00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:24.720
Will that happened this time? We shall see? One hundred

472
00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:27.759
and four games is a lot considering that the last

473
00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:29.160
World Cup was sixty four games.

474
00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:31.680
So I would I tell me if you agree with this,

475
00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:34.960
I think there'll be sellouts. Now will they get all

476
00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:38.279
the what they're they're asking price? Like right off the top?

477
00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:41.640
Maybee maybe not down, but I think there should be

478
00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:45.319
the demand should be enough where everything has a price

479
00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:46.559
at some you know.

480
00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:50.440
But but Germany cures out, isn't going to get the

481
00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:54.160
same price as France Norway. You know, it's not gonna happen.

482
00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:56.079
And then and then once he gets to the knockout stage,

483
00:23:56.400 --> 00:23:58.839
all those games really matter. I think the knockout stage

484
00:23:58.839 --> 00:24:00.839
is where the money really is. And just so you

485
00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:04.039
know and the listeners know, Mexico and Canada will host

486
00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:05.960
games as well, But once you get the knockout round,

487
00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:08.119
all those games are in the US. So the US

488
00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:11.000
is hosting the majority of these games, and in that way,

489
00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:14.119
it's considered very much a US led World Cup. But

490
00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:16.440
because you have so many teams and so many games,

491
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:19.599
you really got to spread it out across Canada and Mexico.

492
00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:21.720
The truth is, though, if you had just kept it

493
00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:23.880
in the US, the US could have hosted as many games.

494
00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:27.000
There's a lot of cities that did not get games. Washington,

495
00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:29.440
d C. Is not hosting the World Cup. Chicago is

496
00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:30.359
not hosting the World Cup.

497
00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:34.119
They weren't selected. Were they not selected, or they didn't

498
00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:34.720
put it in a.

499
00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:38.079
Bit like so okay, so most cities put in bids

500
00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:40.680
and didn't get them. Chicago didn't actually put in the bid,

501
00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:43.359
but Washington, d C. It was it was actually Washington Baltimore.

502
00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:45.240
They wouldn't have the games in Baltimore. They did not

503
00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:47.839
get They were able not to be able to get games.

504
00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:51.000
But there was a lot of maneuvering. For example, Jerry

505
00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:53.480
Jones really wanted to get games in Dallas, and he

506
00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:55.720
got them. And Dallas is a big it's a great stadium.

507
00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:57.440
You know, these are all NFL stadium so it's a

508
00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:59.920
great stadium in Dallas. Dallas wanted to host the final

509
00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:02.599
and they didn't get it. But they also wanted to

510
00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:04.519
be able to have games where teams didn't have to

511
00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:07.079
travel all over the country, you know, So for example,

512
00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:09.400
there's games in Boston, New York and Philly, so you

513
00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:12.000
can keep teams pretty close. They can travel by train

514
00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:14.680
and not create because you know, we have time differences here.

515
00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:17.400
Players would be jet lagged. But for example, Boston was

516
00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:20.920
not an original team that anyone original city anyone thought

517
00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:22.880
was going to get the World Cup. But Bob Kraft

518
00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:26.039
put a little pressure on FIFA and they're like, all right, Bob,

519
00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:27.480
we'll make this work for you. We're going to We'll

520
00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:29.519
pick Boston and not some other place.

521
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:29.920
Right.

522
00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:33.039
So a lot of these NFL owners see the potential

523
00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:35.599
in soccer. You know, some of them own MLS teams.

524
00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:39.559
They definitely want their NFL stadiums to host World Cup games. So,

525
00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:42.480
you know, Jerry Jones is friendly with FIFA, Bob Craft

526
00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:45.680
is friendly with FIFA. You know, the people that you

527
00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:48.319
know own the Giants, so friendly with you know, FIFA

528
00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:50.880
and MetLife got chosen to host the final, which I

529
00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:52.920
think is fair because I can't think of a more

530
00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:55.480
international city than New York and to host the final

531
00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:58.160
would be amazing. People should remember it. Back in ninety four,

532
00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:00.559
the World Cup Final was held at the Rose Bowl

533
00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:03.279
in Pasadena, So New York didn't host the final. They

534
00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:04.079
host to semi final.

535
00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:06.200
West Coast and Southeast Coast.

536
00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:08.960
Turn Yeah exactly. I mean, you know, I thought Dallas

537
00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:11.240
might get it because I still think in the mind

538
00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:14.000
of many Europeans, they don't know America. They just know

539
00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:18.319
New York, La, Miami and maybe Dallas, right, They don't

540
00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:21.240
really know other cities. They never heard of phild Healthire

541
00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:24.079
of Boston or Kansas City, for example, which we'll be

542
00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:24.920
hosting games as well.

543
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:28.759
Yeah, let's talk about you got your traditional favorites, right

544
00:26:28.839 --> 00:26:31.839
you you kind of I don't want to say handicap

545
00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:35.359
in the event, but like, who are obviously you got

546
00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:39.000
your leaders of each of these groups, right, But as

547
00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:42.720
as as someone who knows a lot of these rosters

548
00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:47.359
who they're going to be traditional powerhouses that we should expect.

549
00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:49.720
I know you mentioned, you know for everyone here in

550
00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:52.480
the US, uh that we got a pretty good draw

551
00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:55.279
with our group. We might be able to fight our

552
00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:57.640
way out of that and then survive in advance. But

553
00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:01.000
who are like coming in? Who are the favorites in

554
00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:03.519
your mind? Is it kind of the chalk what we

555
00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:05.680
would normally say or not necessarily?

556
00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:08.079
Yeah, so I put them in tears. So I would

557
00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:12.200
say the teams that are super favorite would be Argentina

558
00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:15.640
defending champion. Then you have France which they were runners

559
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:19.039
up last time, Spain which are the current European champions,

560
00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.279
and then you have England in Brazil. Okay, so these

561
00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:24.160
are the teams we're looking at that are in the

562
00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:27.200
favorite category. Then you have the dark horse category. It's like, oh,

563
00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:29.759
what's a team that could emerge that no one expects

564
00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:32.079
in the dark horse category? I look at Morocco who

565
00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:35.599
finished fourth last time with a surprise fourth. They're a

566
00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:38.200
very good team. A lot of their players play in Europe.

567
00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:41.240
The Netherlands, which is another team that finished runners up

568
00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:44.319
twice in history the World Cup. Oh three times, I

569
00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:46.720
should say three time. Runners up, never won a World Cup,

570
00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:49.119
but they're always in play. A team like Germany who's

571
00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:51.279
been traditionally very good, but they've they've been in a

572
00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:53.640
bit of a love last couple of years, they could emerge.

573
00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:57.319
So you're looking at the usuals with maybe a sprinkling

574
00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:59.839
of some newer teams. Let's not forget the last two

575
00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:02.640
World Cups. Croatia did very well. Croatia got to the

576
00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:07.400
final in twenty eighteen and then got pretty deep semifinals

577
00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:10.400
in twenty twenty two. But they're an aging team. But

578
00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:13.160
that's a team that emerged out of nowhere and then

579
00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:15.880
it goes through cycles. And because the World Cup is

580
00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:18.559
every four years, you know, it's hard to build momentum

581
00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:21.079
year after year, right, so you can't build. It's not

582
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:23.720
like a playoff team that you build momentum. You rebuild,

583
00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:25.960
you don't rebuild. I mean, you have to just hope

584
00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:29.720
that your country's producing young players, young enough talent, and

585
00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:31.599
that the coach who has all the power in the

586
00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:33.880
world to pick the players he wants and creates enough

587
00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:38.119
team chemistry over the four year period between World Cups

588
00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:40.680
to be able to then field the team for five weeks.

589
00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:42.480
You got to win nine games to get to the final,

590
00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:45.200
and in the whole thing you can get hot, you know,

591
00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:47.000
like in the knockouts, you get hot and you can

592
00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:49.160
get to the final. It can happen. But the World

593
00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:52.400
Cup has only had eight winners in ninety six years,

594
00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:54.759
so it's not easy to win the World Cup. Only

595
00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:57.440
eight countries I've ever won it, so it's a very

596
00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:00.519
exclusive club. And so I mentioned these teams. The teams

597
00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:05.799
I mentioned in the favorite category mentioned Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain.

598
00:29:06.279 --> 00:29:08.319
These countries have all won a World Cup at least once.

599
00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:11.799
So it's going to be the usual suspects. And the

600
00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:15.240
truth is you almost want the usual suspects because it

601
00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:17.200
does make for a better show, and it will be

602
00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:19.920
I should point out probably the last World Cup for Messi,

603
00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:22.400
the last World Cup for Ronaldo. These are guys who've

604
00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:25.839
been playing for twenty plus years, and so that'll be

605
00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:26.480
interesting to see.

606
00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:28.799
Do you think they let me ask you this? You

607
00:29:28.839 --> 00:29:32.039
can't answer for them, but just playing, you know, putting

608
00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:35.960
on your speculators. Do you think I know? Messi kind

609
00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:38.839
of at one point was like saying that that's probably it.

610
00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:41.880
Do you think the fact that it's here in the

611
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:45.640
United States kind of influenced their decision to give it

612
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:49.119
one more goal this go round or not. I think

613
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:49.799
that really.

614
00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:53.359
I think for for Messi, yes, because Messi plays here

615
00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:55.799
in Miami in the US and he's made the US

616
00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:58.839
is home and he's been extraordinarily good at thirty six

617
00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:02.359
years old and still you know, breeze past twenty year

618
00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:04.440
olds with ease, and people would say, oh, he's doing

619
00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:06.480
that in America. I still think if he was playing

620
00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:08.839
in Europe, he could probably play at a pretty high level. So,

621
00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:11.640
I mean, he reminds me. Him being here reminds me

622
00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.000
of when Pala came here in the seventies and when

623
00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:17.440
Beckham came in the two thousands. You know, you have

624
00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:20.000
this idea of like, we have the best player in

625
00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:22.240
the world and he's coming to a market the US.

626
00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:23.920
He's helping to grow the game. So I do think

627
00:30:23.960 --> 00:30:26.160
he wants to finish that out. He wants to play

628
00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:29.000
at the World Cup Argentina in the US and then

629
00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:31.640
maybe finishes two years in Miami and then maybe retire

630
00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:33.559
at thirty nine years old and forty years old, and

631
00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:36.039
he can retire. Ronaldo's already at forty forty one. He's

632
00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:39.359
already pretty old for soccer anyway, but the guy keeps

633
00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:41.759
The guy reminds me of Tom Brady. He's he's in

634
00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:45.279
great physical shape, he's got great mentality. You know, he's

635
00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:47.400
you know, but it'll be interesting to see. Can he

636
00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:50.039
play for Portugal? Can he start? Will he be on

637
00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:52.200
the bench. He's not the kind of he's not a

638
00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:55.440
team player, you know. Ronaldo is very much into himself.

639
00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.160
Can he sacrifice himself for the team if he gets

640
00:30:58.160 --> 00:30:59.519
subbed out? Will he throw a tantrum?

641
00:30:59.599 --> 00:30:59.680
Like?

642
00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:01.519
We'll see what you know. Can you play the full

643
00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:04.279
ninety minutes? Maybe not, but I think it'll be interesting

644
00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:07.400
to see what he can do. And come spring, the

645
00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:11.000
US will play Portugal in a pre World Cup friendly,

646
00:31:11.119 --> 00:31:13.240
as they call it, a game that's an exhibition game.

647
00:31:13.559 --> 00:31:17.920
So chrisy Ronaldo come here? Ronaldo did recently. Now Ronaldo

648
00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:20.240
also plays in Saudi Arabia. So Ronaldo and Messi both

649
00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:23.079
left the European soccer a while ago because they realize

650
00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:25.400
they're getting older, they're getting slower, and there's a lot

651
00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:27.680
more money that we had outside of Europe in this

652
00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:30.279
case in the Middle East, and they want to be ambassador.

653
00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:32.720
So I think they're playing one more time, just one

654
00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:34.720
more go at it and we'll see what happens. I

655
00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:37.480
think if you remember four years ago when Argentina won

656
00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:40.319
the World Cup, that was an amazing World Cup final

657
00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:43.400
member three three. They went to penalty kicks and Messi

658
00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:44.960
not only won the World Cup for the first time,

659
00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:46.799
but I think pretty much crowned himself.

660
00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:49.759
That game, havington I'm not a soccer guy per se,

661
00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:51.920
but they have me on the edge of my seat.

662
00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:55.079
Like I was thinking to myself, it stakes that someone's

663
00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:57.960
going to lose this game, right, like these both these teams,

664
00:31:58.640 --> 00:32:01.279
like you know, you can't what a trophy and half

665
00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:04.519
or you know, but like I felt bad, Like I

666
00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:07.559
didn't have a particular rooting interest, but I knew one

667
00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:10.759
team was gonna lose, and whoever was gonna be I

668
00:32:10.920 --> 00:32:14.440
was gonna feel bad, like so enthralling and they were

669
00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:19.000
leaving it all out there. Yeah, just momentum swings one

670
00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:21.839
way back the other way, and I'm like, it's too bad.

671
00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:25.359
Someone's gotta feel the pain of not coming out of

672
00:32:25.400 --> 00:32:28.720
the victorious. But that's the beauty of it too. Yeah,

673
00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:29.960
at the end of the day.

674
00:32:30.079 --> 00:32:33.039
No, and that's absolutely true. But when you get to

675
00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:35.039
that level, you get to a final, you want that

676
00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:37.519
game to be that game. You want there to be,

677
00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:39.839
you know, because these are the two best teams.

678
00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:40.000
Now.

679
00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:43.119
Oftentimes you don't get that in soccer because teams are tired,

680
00:32:43.160 --> 00:32:46.079
they've played seven eight games in a tight window, and

681
00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:49.039
also all the pressure. Sometimes the championship game isn't always

682
00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:51.079
the best game of the tournament, but it's nice when

683
00:32:51.119 --> 00:32:53.160
it works out that way. And we should point out

684
00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:55.160
that on the other side of Messi was killing Nimbappe,

685
00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:58.000
who will be back for France. He's much younger at

686
00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:01.359
twenty four. He could break a few Cup records. I

687
00:33:01.799 --> 00:33:04.880
totally see him, you know, doing something with France. Maybe

688
00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:06.400
you already won a World Cup in twenty eighteen and

689
00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:08.480
he was like basically nineteen years old, so he's already

690
00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:10.759
won a World Cup at a very young age. So

691
00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:13.119
these these these are players who are primed. And in

692
00:33:13.200 --> 00:33:18.200
these players I'm mentioning Ronaldo Messi and Bope who these

693
00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:19.799
are all players who are going to who have the

694
00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:21.599
biggest card values anyways in the in.

695
00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:24.599
The Yeah, they're thetions of the game. And even Bope,

696
00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:28.319
even at at a young young age of twenty four

697
00:33:28.519 --> 00:33:31.160
is like, I know who's a lot of people.

698
00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:33.480
Know who someone's at my door. I've got to get

699
00:33:33.559 --> 00:33:35.240
that be right back.

700
00:33:35.799 --> 00:33:40.079
Hobby Hotline is the Hobby's only live, interactive call in show.

701
00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:45.119
Join some of your favorite Hobby personalities every Saturday eleven

702
00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:50.319
am Eastern eight am Pacific to discuss the hottest Hobby topics.

703
00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:53.880
If you miss us live, catch us after the fact

704
00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:58.160
on all major podcasts platforms. Follow us on socials at

705
00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:00.559
Hobby Hotline.

706
00:34:03.720 --> 00:34:06.519
Sports combination has reasons.

707
00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:14.960
Who's the hot name, that's the real young player to watch?

708
00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:15.320
You know?

709
00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:19.039
In yeah, in eighteen, let's say there is yet somebody.

710
00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:21.840
Yeah, there's a player that plays for Spain named Lamina

711
00:34:21.920 --> 00:34:25.480
mal who is He's only eighteen years old. He was

712
00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:28.480
sixteen when they won the European Championship with Spain. He

713
00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:30.920
was sixteen. He was a kid and he was playing

714
00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:34.519
like he was twenty five. So he's eighteen now nineteen.

715
00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:36.519
I think he's going to have a great World Cup.

716
00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:39.599
He plays for Spain, so Spain again one of the favorites.

717
00:34:39.800 --> 00:34:41.960
He's another name you see a lot at card shows.

718
00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:44.559
People like to speculate on his rookie cards, which are

719
00:34:44.719 --> 00:34:48.400
fairly new and he is a great player. You just

720
00:34:48.519 --> 00:34:50.480
tell by the way they move, the way they run,

721
00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:53.880
the way they play, the maturity they bring. And soccer,

722
00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:55.840
you have a sixteen seventeen year old playing against twenty

723
00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:58.760
nine year olds and he's gliding past these guys. So

724
00:34:59.559 --> 00:35:02.679
it's guys have something special again. Like in hockey though,

725
00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:06.039
these guys are scoring goals. They're the alpha male, they're

726
00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:07.840
they're the guys on the team that everybody wants to

727
00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:10.280
be And so you know, it's not a goalkeeper, it's

728
00:35:10.280 --> 00:35:12.440
not a defender, it's it's the guy scoring the goals.

729
00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:12.719
Again.

730
00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:15.159
You know, this is what gets people excited in the hobby,

731
00:35:15.320 --> 00:35:17.880
it's what gets people excited in sports and soccer. He's

732
00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:20.480
putting up big goals, he's doing great things, he's making

733
00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:23.840
great moves, and so he's the he's the one younger player,

734
00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:26.119
even he's been playing for a few years now. It'll

735
00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:27.920
be his first World Cup though, so people are gonna

736
00:35:28.239 --> 00:35:31.440
want his sticker, first sticker, They're gonna want all that

737
00:35:31.480 --> 00:35:34.199
and and and look, if Spain go far win a

738
00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:37.119
World Cup, even then, I think, you know he's going

739
00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:40.039
to be the next with the next embope he'll he'll

740
00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:42.519
slide right in there. In terms of popularity.

741
00:35:42.880 --> 00:35:46.280
Now, we know, like the soccer market, the soccer harbor,

742
00:35:46.480 --> 00:35:49.119
hobby market's gonna get a bump from the World Cup.

743
00:35:49.159 --> 00:35:53.159
I think even more so being here on North American

744
00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:57.960
soil in Canada and Mexico, but having it here since

745
00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:01.119
the last World Cup. You know, how how would you describe,

746
00:36:01.480 --> 00:36:05.599
you know, a synopsis of what the soccer market hobby

747
00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:08.719
wise has done. You know, obviously you get the World

748
00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:12.440
Cup bump. Well, how has it been between last World

749
00:36:12.440 --> 00:36:15.239
Cup and leading into this World Cup?

750
00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:18.920
Yeah, so back in twenty eighteen, there was really no

751
00:36:19.039 --> 00:36:22.800
soccer card market. There were soccer cards and they were okay,

752
00:36:23.239 --> 00:36:25.519
and they were stickers. The stickers are what people wanted

753
00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:29.360
in Europe. Anyway, COVID soccer blew up. Then the World

754
00:36:29.400 --> 00:36:31.079
Cup in twenty twenty two was in the middle of

755
00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:34.280
the COVID thing. So they kind of had a big bump,

756
00:36:34.360 --> 00:36:36.880
and I want to say that it was a bump

757
00:36:36.920 --> 00:36:40.400
that kind of stabilized, but it did put soccer from

758
00:36:40.440 --> 00:36:43.239
being almost non existent to being in a place where

759
00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:46.079
any show I go to, whether it's a small show

760
00:36:46.119 --> 00:36:49.039
or regional show, the national, the expo whatever. Soccer is

761
00:36:49.039 --> 00:36:53.840
a big deal, Like there's soccer only dealers, even people

762
00:36:53.840 --> 00:36:57.320
that sell multi sport will sell soccer cards, you know,

763
00:36:57.440 --> 00:37:01.159
the big names. Right, So soccer's because more integrated, I

764
00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:04.639
think into the hobby more so than even Formula one,

765
00:37:04.639 --> 00:37:06.599
which kind of had that big spike and then kind

766
00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:08.559
of I don't know, I think it kind of died, right,

767
00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:11.199
But soccer is there. I think when you talk about

768
00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:13.679
the hobby, you're talking about five sports. Really you're talking

769
00:37:13.679 --> 00:37:16.320
about the four major American sports, and soccer I think

770
00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:19.079
is in that category now. And you have card shows

771
00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.960
now all over Europe. You have the London Card Show,

772
00:37:20.960 --> 00:37:22.599
which I went to a couple of years ago. You

773
00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:26.800
have shows in all over Europe. Europeans now buying you know,

774
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:30.719
soccer cards. Tops is making Soner cards. Fanatics is super

775
00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:33.559
interested in soccer. They would love to have the FIFA license.

776
00:37:33.960 --> 00:37:36.679
So I don't know if you know, but fanas Fest

777
00:37:36.719 --> 00:37:40.599
this year will take place during the World Cup final weekend,

778
00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:43.400
which will be in New York, so and FIFA. I

779
00:37:43.400 --> 00:37:47.000
had a huge booth at the last a finax Fest

780
00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:49.840
last year. The one negative of that is that it

781
00:37:49.880 --> 00:37:53.119
puts fax Fest in the National literally within two and

782
00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:55.400
a half weeks of each other, which is not ideal, right,

783
00:37:55.719 --> 00:37:58.599
But I don't think cares about the National or anybody else.

784
00:37:58.599 --> 00:38:00.679
They just they just care about what they're doing and

785
00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:03.599
they care about working with FIFA and working with other partners.

786
00:38:03.800 --> 00:38:03.960
Right.

787
00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:06.679
So I say that to say that's how big soccer

788
00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:09.320
has become. That finax Fest is like, yeah, we'd love

789
00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:11.519
to have our show in June every year in New York,

790
00:38:11.519 --> 00:38:12.920
but we're gonna do it in July this year because

791
00:38:12.920 --> 00:38:14.559
the World Cup is the final is there and they're

792
00:38:14.559 --> 00:38:17.159
gonna have a viewing party and it's gonna be FIFA

793
00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:18.840
is going to have a big booth again. It's really

794
00:38:18.840 --> 00:38:21.320
gonna be fully integrated. So if you're coming to New

795
00:38:21.400 --> 00:38:24.400
York for the final and you're in New York that weekend,

796
00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:28.199
you can pop into finas Fest and maybe buy merchandise, memorabilia,

797
00:38:28.639 --> 00:38:30.679
soccer cards. You know, that's all part of it. So

798
00:38:30.840 --> 00:38:33.239
TOPS is super interested in it. Panini still has the

799
00:38:33.280 --> 00:38:35.639
World Cup license, they still have the FIFA license, So

800
00:38:35.719 --> 00:38:38.599
they're gonna produce Punini, Prism and a bunch of other

801
00:38:38.880 --> 00:38:40.599
don us, and they're gonna produce a bunch of cards

802
00:38:40.599 --> 00:38:42.519
this year, they are gonna have a lot of relevance.

803
00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:45.440
I think because it's a World Cup year, there's definitely

804
00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:48.599
a bump that is already starting to emerge. And then

805
00:38:48.599 --> 00:38:50.679
people are going back and trying to buy the old stuff.

806
00:38:50.679 --> 00:38:53.400
They're trying to buy the Messi Rookies, the Fernaldoki. I

807
00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:57.159
think the Messy Rookie card has become almost as iconic

808
00:38:57.159 --> 00:39:00.239
as the Gretzky Rookie or the Mickey Mantle. If you're

809
00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:03.559
a soccer fan or multi sport collector, you want the

810
00:39:03.599 --> 00:39:06.400
Messi Rookie because he's got a card. It's from two

811
00:39:06.440 --> 00:39:08.679
thousand and four. It came out in Spain. It was

812
00:39:08.679 --> 00:39:11.360
put up by Panini, but there's lots of examples of it.

813
00:39:11.400 --> 00:39:13.800
I mean every show I go to, I inevitably run

814
00:39:13.840 --> 00:39:16.320
into this Messy Rookie card. You know, it's not hard

815
00:39:16.360 --> 00:39:18.960
to find, but the prices have been going up up up,

816
00:39:19.320 --> 00:39:22.400
and the better the grade, the better it is. I

817
00:39:22.440 --> 00:39:24.599
still have a fantasy that one day someone is going

818
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:27.239
to like find in a warehouse in Spain like one

819
00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:29.599
hundred thousand of these Messy cards and go, oh, look

820
00:39:29.599 --> 00:39:31.719
there's a ton of these sitting in a box. You know,

821
00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:35.159
and with that Devalue, I don't know what because it's European,

822
00:39:35.280 --> 00:39:38.480
because it's only issued in Spain, it's you know, it's

823
00:39:39.400 --> 00:39:41.159
hard to find in America. This is a car that

824
00:39:41.199 --> 00:39:44.360
you literally ten years ago didn't even know existed. And

825
00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:48.719
now every Golden auction you see it. Every article about

826
00:39:48.760 --> 00:39:51.639
soccer cards, you see that card photographed them there, so

827
00:39:51.719 --> 00:39:54.239
it is become I think the Messi Rookie is in

828
00:39:54.280 --> 00:39:56.760
the same collection as the Mickey Mantle Rookie and the

829
00:39:56.760 --> 00:39:59.800
Gretzky Rookie and the Tom Brady Rookie. It's like the goats.

830
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:01.760
If you want the goats, you have to go out

831
00:40:01.800 --> 00:40:02.960
and get that card.

832
00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:05.280
Well, if you ever want to sell one in a ten.

833
00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:09.719
You have you know, I left though you have won.

834
00:40:10.159 --> 00:40:12.880
But I bought it back in twenty eighteen when it

835
00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:15.400
was worth punches of dollars. Now it's worth thousands of dollars.

836
00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:17.840
But you know, it's the kind of thing where I

837
00:40:17.960 --> 00:40:21.440
enjoyed buying soccer in the twenty seventeen twenty eighteen because

838
00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:25.239
nobody was really buying And now I think soccer maybe

839
00:40:25.280 --> 00:40:28.760
even hotter than hockey in terms of cards because the

840
00:40:28.840 --> 00:40:31.960
people that collect soccer cards are really rabid, and that

841
00:40:32.360 --> 00:40:35.280
fan base is growing larger and larger. And like I said,

842
00:40:35.480 --> 00:40:37.480
you have guys at the National now. For example, at

843
00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:40.880
the last National where I saw you, because soccer collectors

844
00:40:40.880 --> 00:40:43.800
didn't think there was enough soccer at the National, they

845
00:40:43.840 --> 00:40:46.920
actually had their own show in Chicago the same weekend

846
00:40:47.599 --> 00:40:50.239
at night. So I went to it one night and

847
00:40:50.280 --> 00:40:52.599
I couldn't believe. They were like fifty vendor tables selling

848
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:56.159
soccer and it was held at an indoor soccer facility

849
00:40:56.480 --> 00:40:58.840
about thirty minutes away. I took an uber, I went

850
00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:00.800
over there and it was cool. It was like wow,

851
00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:04.519
it was like fake turf tables everywhere, and you know,

852
00:41:04.719 --> 00:41:07.519
and so there is definitely a community that's grown. You

853
00:41:07.559 --> 00:41:09.559
would not have seen that five years, not at all.

854
00:41:09.639 --> 00:41:13.119
Yeah, do you think obviously there's going to be a

855
00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:17.159
bump with it being here on North American sore? Do

856
00:41:17.159 --> 00:41:20.159
you think it'll be a bigger one? Just on that alone,

857
00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:23.960
just just from that alone, comparatively speaking to the last

858
00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:27.800
World Cup and a two prime question, do we know

859
00:41:27.840 --> 00:41:30.880
where the next one is after this one? Or not yet?

860
00:41:31.280 --> 00:41:34.480
We do the next one will be in So I'll

861
00:41:34.519 --> 00:41:36.639
take that question first. So The next World Cup will

862
00:41:36.639 --> 00:41:39.880
be in twenty thirty and that's going to be one

863
00:41:39.960 --> 00:41:41.800
hundred year anniversary of the World Cup, so it's going

864
00:41:41.840 --> 00:41:43.920
to be a big deal in the itself. Okay. Now,

865
00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:46.400
the first World Cup was held in Uruguay, very small

866
00:41:46.480 --> 00:41:48.840
Latin American country, so they could not host a World

867
00:41:48.840 --> 00:41:51.119
Cup at this big They just couldn't, right, So what

868
00:41:51.159 --> 00:41:52.519
they're going to do is they're going to have a

869
00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:57.159
few first round games in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru as

870
00:41:57.159 --> 00:41:59.199
an homage to that first World Cup.

871
00:41:59.440 --> 00:42:00.000
That's cool.

872
00:42:00.320 --> 00:42:02.280
Then they're going to have the rest of the tournament

873
00:42:02.719 --> 00:42:06.639
in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. So yes, the next World

874
00:42:06.679 --> 00:42:10.760
Cup will be hosted by six country okay, and then

875
00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:13.639
the next World Cup after that, twenty thirty four, will

876
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:16.639
be held entirely in Saudi Arabia, which, if you know

877
00:42:16.679 --> 00:42:19.920
anything about Saudi Arabia, they've gotten into the sports market,

878
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:23.360
big time soccer and the golf, golf and everything. Now

879
00:42:23.760 --> 00:42:26.719
we don't know this yet, but I am already speculating

880
00:42:26.760 --> 00:42:29.400
that World Cup will be like Qatar, it'll be too

881
00:42:29.400 --> 00:42:31.679
hot to have in the summer, and they'll have another

882
00:42:31.719 --> 00:42:34.119
winter World Cup, and which we all lived through in

883
00:42:34.159 --> 00:42:36.719
November and December of twenty twenty two, and ultimately I

884
00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:38.960
didn't think it was that bad watching soccer on Thanksgiving.

885
00:42:38.960 --> 00:42:41.079
I gotta tell you, I gotta be honest. So the

886
00:42:41.079 --> 00:42:44.440
European leagues didn't like having a month break in between,

887
00:42:44.519 --> 00:42:44.960
but you.

888
00:42:44.920 --> 00:42:46.920
Can watch football and then football.

889
00:42:47.079 --> 00:42:50.239
Yeah, exactly exactly which people did you? I don't know

890
00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:53.719
if you remember, but on Black Friday US England, I'm

891
00:42:53.719 --> 00:42:56.519
Black Friday was pretty fun game and it was zero

892
00:42:56.639 --> 00:42:58.519
zero And to this day England has never beaten in

893
00:42:58.519 --> 00:43:00.760
the US at a World Cup. So so yeah, so

894
00:43:01.199 --> 00:43:04.000
we have So the next two World Cups are spoken for.

895
00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:06.239
Then after that we don't know. But the World Cup

896
00:43:06.280 --> 00:43:08.880
is becoming hard and harder to host because it's getting

897
00:43:08.920 --> 00:43:11.760
bigger and bigger, and it's really hard for countries to

898
00:43:11.800 --> 00:43:13.519
do it alone because you know, the US is a

899
00:43:13.519 --> 00:43:16.039
big country, but in sad Arabia is a big country.

900
00:43:16.039 --> 00:43:18.599
But a country like Italy or Germany or England couldn't

901
00:43:18.599 --> 00:43:21.440
host a World Cup that was that big. So be curious.

902
00:43:21.440 --> 00:43:22.760
See what happens with the World Cup. Is all the

903
00:43:22.840 --> 00:43:24.800
speculation that the World Cup might go from forty eight

904
00:43:24.840 --> 00:43:26.000
to sixty fourteen so.

905
00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:28.159
That was my next question, like, a we're going to see

906
00:43:28.159 --> 00:43:29.480
more it's possible.

907
00:43:29.559 --> 00:43:31.400
And then to pick up the other question, we could

908
00:43:31.400 --> 00:43:33.679
see more expansion in the future, which who knows how

909
00:43:33.719 --> 00:43:35.880
well people will take that. The original idea was not

910
00:43:35.920 --> 00:43:37.760
to expand the World Cup was, but to have it

911
00:43:37.800 --> 00:43:40.239
every two years, and people really didn't like that, and

912
00:43:40.280 --> 00:43:41.679
so FIFA was like, Okay, we won't have it every

913
00:43:41.719 --> 00:43:43.320
two years before, we're going to make it bigger. So

914
00:43:43.360 --> 00:43:45.519
people were like, okay, the other question you had, will

915
00:43:45.559 --> 00:43:48.199
the World Cup give soccer cards a bigger bump? I

916
00:43:48.199 --> 00:43:51.280
think because they're helping in here. Yeah, yeah, I I

917
00:43:51.320 --> 00:43:54.639
think I think yes. Now I think the World Cup

918
00:43:54.639 --> 00:43:56.599
could be held anywhere and people would still watch it

919
00:43:56.639 --> 00:43:58.639
on TV. Yeah, the World Cup is really a television

920
00:43:58.639 --> 00:44:00.519
event at this point, like the Olympics. So it doesn't

921
00:44:00.519 --> 00:44:03.239
matter where you hold it, but having get here does matter.

922
00:44:03.320 --> 00:44:06.639
Because Panini and Upper Deck and Tops and all these

923
00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:08.960
country all these companies are going to try to produce

924
00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:12.199
as much soccer as they can just to meet the demand.

925
00:44:12.639 --> 00:44:14.880
You might get new collectors, and you know, you have

926
00:44:14.920 --> 00:44:17.639
to remember back in ninety four, Upper Deck they put

927
00:44:17.639 --> 00:44:20.320
out that ninety four World Cup set that has become

928
00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:22.960
kind of iconic among soccer fans because it was kind

929
00:44:22.960 --> 00:44:26.440
of the first real World Cup card set, you know,

930
00:44:26.440 --> 00:44:29.239
and Upper Deck put that out and which produced some

931
00:44:29.280 --> 00:44:32.119
pretty famous cards of some pretty good soccer players. But

932
00:44:32.159 --> 00:44:34.239
in addition to that, they made these special cards of

933
00:44:34.519 --> 00:44:37.960
Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan. There's a Michael Jordan card

934
00:44:38.000 --> 00:44:40.639
dunking a soccer ball, like there is a Joe Montanas

935
00:44:40.639 --> 00:44:43.000
soccer card. There's a Reggie Jackson. These are all guys

936
00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:46.480
that Upper Deck had under contract back in the nineties, right. So,

937
00:44:46.480 --> 00:44:49.239
so though that set became iconic as a result of

938
00:44:49.280 --> 00:44:51.000
the fact that that World Cup was being held here,

939
00:44:51.039 --> 00:44:52.360
and Upper Deck was like, well, we got to put

940
00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:54.519
out a set, you know, because the World Cup is here,

941
00:44:54.559 --> 00:44:56.440
It's going to be a big deal. So I think

942
00:44:56.719 --> 00:44:59.519
that will happen. I mean, Panini America is already positioning

943
00:44:59.559 --> 00:45:02.280
itself to try to me. I noticed four years ago

944
00:45:02.320 --> 00:45:04.800
with the stickers. Literally every place I went to in

945
00:45:04.800 --> 00:45:07.920
New York City, even Walgreens had the stickers, and before

946
00:45:07.960 --> 00:45:10.239
that they never had them. So I have to imagine

947
00:45:10.320 --> 00:45:12.920
that the World Cup being here, the buzz of it

948
00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:16.480
being just next door is going to be huge, especially

949
00:45:16.480 --> 00:45:18.440
if you live in a big American city and you're

950
00:45:18.440 --> 00:45:20.719
gonna see people in the street celebrating and see people

951
00:45:20.719 --> 00:45:25.280
at bars. It's gonna be Jersey. Yeah, exactly, it's gonna

952
00:45:25.320 --> 00:45:28.239
be like March Madness on steroids. I think, you know,

953
00:45:28.280 --> 00:45:30.280
it's gonna be huge, And I think it's going to

954
00:45:30.360 --> 00:45:34.280
have help the hobby because naturally young people, older people

955
00:45:34.400 --> 00:45:38.800
might say, Oh, I'm believe enjoin the sport. I do baseball, cars,

956
00:45:39.079 --> 00:45:41.920
maybe I could do soccer. Now I can collect some

957
00:45:41.960 --> 00:45:43.960
of my favorite players I'm watching at this tournament right

958
00:45:44.039 --> 00:45:45.639
And you know, so, I think there'll be a lot

959
00:45:45.639 --> 00:45:48.039
of product out there for everybody. Come come the summer.

960
00:45:48.280 --> 00:45:50.400
So the last time you were on, which was, like

961
00:45:50.440 --> 00:45:54.079
you said, a while ago, too long? Any traction on

962
00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:57.199
my rule suggestion. One of my pet beeves is like

963
00:45:57.239 --> 00:46:01.119
a guy gets like script and anyone can shoot the

964
00:46:01.199 --> 00:46:04.440
penalty shot, Like I think, yes, it's whoever I think

965
00:46:04.480 --> 00:46:08.599
it should be. Whoever gets, whoever's the penalty occurs on

966
00:46:08.840 --> 00:46:11.159
has to do the penalty shot. You can't just have

967
00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:15.639
like messy take everyone. Like in basketball, if you file,

968
00:46:15.960 --> 00:46:17.679
you always want to file the guy who has the

969
00:46:17.760 --> 00:46:21.519
worst free throw percentage because there's more likely he's gonna mess.

970
00:46:21.639 --> 00:46:23.719
I think it should be like that in soccer, like

971
00:46:24.079 --> 00:46:27.519
you know that that guy has to kick, be the

972
00:46:27.559 --> 00:46:30.800
one that tries to kick the penalty shot one on

973
00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:32.119
one with the going it.

974
00:46:32.079 --> 00:46:36.039
Would so So no, there's been zero traction on what

975
00:46:36.079 --> 00:46:39.719
you said, though, I will admit. I will admit when

976
00:46:39.719 --> 00:46:42.360
you mentioned that on our last time I was on,

977
00:46:42.440 --> 00:46:44.800
which was a long time ago, but I do remember

978
00:46:44.840 --> 00:46:46.679
you saying that, and a light bulble off in my head.

979
00:46:46.679 --> 00:46:48.480
I thought, you know what. I never heard anyone say that,

980
00:46:48.840 --> 00:46:50.519
and I've never heard anyone say it since. But I

981
00:46:50.559 --> 00:46:53.480
think it's a genius idea because the probability of a

982
00:46:53.559 --> 00:46:57.119
kicker scoring is very high. It's like sixty seventy percent

983
00:46:57.559 --> 00:47:00.840
in favor of kicker, so it's almost like a goal.

984
00:47:00.920 --> 00:47:01.079
Now.

985
00:47:01.400 --> 00:47:04.079
We we have seen players miss, so we've seen goalies

986
00:47:04.119 --> 00:47:08.360
make saves, but the odds are stacked against the goalie, right,

987
00:47:08.719 --> 00:47:11.039
So it would be amazing if someone gets tripped, and

988
00:47:11.079 --> 00:47:14.800
let's say they're not a penalty kick specialist, okay, so

989
00:47:14.920 --> 00:47:16.320
if they have to take the kick, it makes it

990
00:47:16.320 --> 00:47:18.599
more exciting. Number one, So I like your idea. Number one,

991
00:47:18.639 --> 00:47:19.039
Number two.

992
00:47:19.320 --> 00:47:22.360
Well here's the other thing, real real quick too and

993
00:47:22.519 --> 00:47:25.639
looks a MESSI and Ronaldo and the greats of the

994
00:47:25.719 --> 00:47:29.440
game of soccer are great without I'm not saying they're

995
00:47:29.559 --> 00:47:32.480
they're not great, But does this some of the numbers

996
00:47:32.480 --> 00:47:35.239
get inflated because these are counted as goal.

997
00:47:35.320 --> 00:47:37.800
Yeah, it's yeah.

998
00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:41.480
It's like an empty net goal in hockey. Like he scored, but.

999
00:47:42.280 --> 00:47:42.840
It wasn't hard.

1000
00:47:43.119 --> 00:47:44.480
It was like it was at the end of the

1001
00:47:44.519 --> 00:47:47.119
game they had it trying to get the extra guy

1002
00:47:46.360 --> 00:47:50.119
and get the goalies there, but he's getting a stop

1003
00:47:50.199 --> 00:47:53.599
play shot right right, Like so you know, they might

1004
00:47:53.639 --> 00:47:56.519
have four hundred goals in their career, you know how

1005
00:47:56.559 --> 00:47:59.639
many were Like I'm like, to me, I take more

1006
00:47:59.760 --> 00:48:03.599
pro or I think it's more exciting and in play

1007
00:48:03.639 --> 00:48:05.639
goal where you know it's set up and the guy

1008
00:48:06.400 --> 00:48:09.280
we're heads in and then or bicycle kid, right, you know,

1009
00:48:09.960 --> 00:48:13.840
I just think, yeah, I think like if you if

1010
00:48:13.840 --> 00:48:16.320
you're the one that like gets tripped and you do

1011
00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:19.360
a face plant, you should at least get to reap

1012
00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:21.519
the rewards of drawing that penalty.

1013
00:48:21.599 --> 00:48:24.880
You know, I've seen games where someone gets tripped and

1014
00:48:24.880 --> 00:48:27.000
then every team's got that one guy who kicks, the

1015
00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:29.079
penalty kicks, and usually it's like a Messi or Ronaldo.

1016
00:48:29.119 --> 00:48:33.039
But I've seen games where players have gone into fights

1017
00:48:33.639 --> 00:48:35.000
like I want to kick it, No, you kick you know,

1018
00:48:35.039 --> 00:48:38.000
it's like because because they want the goal, or maybe

1019
00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:40.440
they're in a scoring drought and it'll maybe help them.

1020
00:48:40.599 --> 00:48:43.480
So you're right, the idea that that you're committed to

1021
00:48:43.519 --> 00:48:46.039
the guy that got tripped, that would be fun and

1022
00:48:46.119 --> 00:48:47.920
that's never been floated, but I still think it's a

1023
00:48:47.920 --> 00:48:50.360
good idea because it would be interesting, and you're right,

1024
00:48:50.440 --> 00:48:52.760
the Messies of the world wouldn't be able to pad

1025
00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:55.719
their numbers. But on top of that, you have some

1026
00:48:55.880 --> 00:48:57.679
you know, a penalty kick would be such a sure thing.

1027
00:48:57.760 --> 00:49:01.000
If if some defender got tripped in the box and it's like, oh,

1028
00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:02.360
he's got to take the kick, and he's not that

1029
00:49:02.400 --> 00:49:04.480
he's a little wobbly on because some players don't do it.

1030
00:49:04.719 --> 00:49:07.239
It's not their special they don't. They don't do pks right.

1031
00:49:07.159 --> 00:49:10.159
Well, it's hacky, right if the guy's got a breakaway

1032
00:49:10.480 --> 00:49:13.840
and the defenseman trips him, he has to take this shot.

1033
00:49:13.960 --> 00:49:17.719
They don't like if it happens to Oilers. McDavid doesn't

1034
00:49:17.760 --> 00:49:20.639
come out and like, okay, it's me get off the eyes.

1035
00:49:20.719 --> 00:49:21.159
I got this.

1036
00:49:21.480 --> 00:49:24.360
Yeah, it's almost like it's almost like a pinch hitter

1037
00:49:24.519 --> 00:49:26.440
or like a pinch runner. It's like, oh, I'm just

1038
00:49:26.440 --> 00:49:29.360
gonna swap them. I'm gonna put my best guy to

1039
00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:29.760
take it.

1040
00:49:30.039 --> 00:49:30.239
You know.

1041
00:49:30.320 --> 00:49:34.119
It's interesting and FIFA does do experiments at youth tournaments

1042
00:49:34.159 --> 00:49:37.079
and minor tournaments with rules. A lot of the rules

1043
00:49:37.199 --> 00:49:40.559
are surrounding, you know, offside and using video review, and

1044
00:49:40.559 --> 00:49:43.239
it's become a big more technology in the game. For example,

1045
00:49:43.280 --> 00:49:45.400
this FIFA is doing this thing where they're going to

1046
00:49:45.480 --> 00:49:48.000
take a body scan of all the players who are

1047
00:49:48.000 --> 00:49:50.400
going to play this way when they're offside, they can

1048
00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:53.679
tell you know, given that body type. I mean, so

1049
00:49:53.760 --> 00:49:55.199
AI is going to be part of the World Cup,

1050
00:49:55.239 --> 00:49:56.800
there's gonna be a lot of technology. So FIFA is

1051
00:49:56.840 --> 00:49:59.760
looking like all the leagues, how do we integrate more technology?

1052
00:50:00.159 --> 00:50:02.159
Your rule change is a good idea, but it's like

1053
00:50:02.199 --> 00:50:03.920
for the old school, it's like, oh, well, let's just

1054
00:50:04.079 --> 00:50:05.559
have this, you know, and maybe that would be a

1055
00:50:05.559 --> 00:50:08.239
fun experiment. I'd love to see how that would look

1056
00:50:08.239 --> 00:50:10.840
over time. But no, no traction, even though I will

1057
00:50:10.880 --> 00:50:13.440
say it stuck with me because it was like, no,

1058
00:50:13.599 --> 00:50:15.960
I never heard that before. It's actually a pretty good idea.

1059
00:50:16.000 --> 00:50:19.039
Maybe because you're not a habitual viewer, you came in

1060
00:50:19.079 --> 00:50:20.280
with fresh fresh eyes.

1061
00:50:20.320 --> 00:50:23.000
You're like, like, if I'm playing soccer even like just

1062
00:50:23.159 --> 00:50:26.480
rec league but not even I'm not a profe, but

1063
00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:29.599
I'm just playing rec league and I'm driving towards the

1064
00:50:29.639 --> 00:50:35.239
goalkeeper and I'm like, hey, I got a shot here,

1065
00:50:35.639 --> 00:50:39.320
and then some dude like Clyde cackles me and I

1066
00:50:39.920 --> 00:50:43.159
go head over heels and the Reugh calls, you know,

1067
00:50:43.239 --> 00:50:45.760
a penalty kick. I want to kick that thing. As

1068
00:50:45.760 --> 00:50:48.440
long as I can get up and still breathe. I

1069
00:50:48.480 --> 00:50:50.199
want to kick that thing. I don't want Mike to

1070
00:50:50.239 --> 00:50:53.000
come off, you know, come from where whoever on the

1071
00:50:53.039 --> 00:50:55.679
field or the sideline, and I got this and get

1072
00:50:55.679 --> 00:50:58.800
out the way, like, dude, I just got killed. I've

1073
00:50:59.039 --> 00:51:01.000
just caught my breath. Want to I want to kick

1074
00:51:01.039 --> 00:51:03.440
this thing in Yeah, why do you get to do

1075
00:51:03.519 --> 00:51:06.679
it like that's you know, maybe it's the hockey, the

1076
00:51:06.880 --> 00:51:11.360
you know, with the penalty shot and then you know, yeah.

1077
00:51:11.400 --> 00:51:13.400
You know, you you foule that guy.

1078
00:51:13.440 --> 00:51:15.800
He goes to the line. Now, not the best free

1079
00:51:15.840 --> 00:51:19.719
throw shooter on the team. You know, oh, technical files

1080
00:51:20.079 --> 00:51:23.400
the best free but if it's a normal, normal file,

1081
00:51:23.480 --> 00:51:26.559
you have to shoot him. So that's where I guess

1082
00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:29.480
I'm just traditional, you know. I always thought it was

1083
00:51:29.920 --> 00:51:33.719
like that guy got tripped and kicked and half punched

1084
00:51:33.760 --> 00:51:36.159
and bit and then this guy comes in and gets

1085
00:51:36.199 --> 00:51:39.360
to kick it, like, come on, man, that's that's my shot.

1086
00:51:39.760 --> 00:51:42.480
Yeah, no, absolutely, it's it's an interesting thing. And I

1087
00:51:42.559 --> 00:51:45.239
do think it's funny. You remember that from our last conversation,

1088
00:51:45.400 --> 00:51:48.239
because it was something I think is interesting. It would

1089
00:51:48.320 --> 00:51:50.320
be fun to see, you know how.

1090
00:51:50.519 --> 00:51:53.559
You know, I don't even going to compromise. Clemente do

1091
00:51:53.679 --> 00:51:56.159
it for the first half. In the second half you

1092
00:51:56.239 --> 00:52:00.320
can have in the second half or overtimes. Anyone can

1093
00:52:00.400 --> 00:52:05.039
kick the penalty kick in the first half. The first half,

1094
00:52:05.400 --> 00:52:06.639
the guy who gets the.

1095
00:52:07.320 --> 00:52:10.320
Uh yeah, like in baseball where like the manager gets

1096
00:52:10.320 --> 00:52:12.440
a challenge, you can challenge or whatever.

1097
00:52:12.519 --> 00:52:16.159
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll compromise. You know, FIFA meet

1098
00:52:16.199 --> 00:52:19.000
me halfway first half. That guy's got to kick the

1099
00:52:19.000 --> 00:52:21.480
ball whoever it is, you know, and if it's messy

1100
00:52:21.480 --> 00:52:24.440
you get stripped out, then it's you know, or I.

1101
00:52:24.440 --> 00:52:27.400
Mean generally generally, just to put a fine point on this,

1102
00:52:27.679 --> 00:52:31.119
generally the attacking players pick the p case. They're the

1103
00:52:31.119 --> 00:52:32.920
ones that get tripped in the box anyway because they're

1104
00:52:33.000 --> 00:52:35.840
charging towards the Yeah, it's unlikely the defender would do.

1105
00:52:35.800 --> 00:52:36.039
It, though.

1106
00:52:36.519 --> 00:52:39.039
You do have defend defenders who do play up the wings,

1107
00:52:39.239 --> 00:52:41.920
but more likely it will be attacking player that gets

1108
00:52:41.960 --> 00:52:44.639
chopped down anyway. So that's it often works out, but

1109
00:52:44.679 --> 00:52:45.719
doesn't always work Well.

1110
00:52:45.760 --> 00:52:48.599
Maybe maybe maybe next world couple'll see.

1111
00:52:49.440 --> 00:52:52.039
You can put you're put in your petition with FIFA.

1112
00:52:52.360 --> 00:52:55.039
Yeah, I'm sure that be right. That'll be right at

1113
00:52:55.039 --> 00:52:58.440
the forefront of the people where they're looking through. Well, listen,

1114
00:52:58.719 --> 00:53:02.800
you wrote the book. Uh you know you've updated it

1115
00:53:02.880 --> 00:53:07.920
well factoring in you know this World Cup. Talk a

1116
00:53:07.920 --> 00:53:12.079
little bit about the book where people can get it again.

1117
00:53:12.280 --> 00:53:15.840
A lot of history I actually read. I didn't read

1118
00:53:15.920 --> 00:53:19.079
the new version. I read the old one. It's not

1119
00:53:19.159 --> 00:53:23.679
that old original, I should say, and like just full

1120
00:53:23.760 --> 00:53:26.159
of of history. And you know, you know, I'm not

1121
00:53:26.599 --> 00:53:29.599
what you would call your typical soccer fan, and it's

1122
00:53:29.679 --> 00:53:33.360
just as a sports fan, I love the history of sports, right,

1123
00:53:33.400 --> 00:53:36.039
and you really covered it, you know, not that I've

1124
00:53:36.039 --> 00:53:38.559
read a ton of soccer, but you've You've covered really

1125
00:53:38.639 --> 00:53:41.639
every aspect and and you did it in a way

1126
00:53:41.800 --> 00:53:44.000
like it's not a small book, but you did it

1127
00:53:44.039 --> 00:53:47.199
in a way it's concise, you know, and and you

1128
00:53:47.320 --> 00:53:50.679
kept it interesting. Talk about like the update where people

1129
00:53:50.760 --> 00:53:53.519
can can buy the book and that sort of thing.

1130
00:53:53.599 --> 00:53:55.639
Yeah, so the book is called The World Cup, History

1131
00:53:55.639 --> 00:53:58.480
of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event, twenty twenty sixth edition,

1132
00:53:58.639 --> 00:54:00.920
so it's the new title for it. And yeah, it

1133
00:54:01.360 --> 00:54:03.800
covers every World Cup from nineteen thirty to the present.

1134
00:54:04.199 --> 00:54:07.079
It really has a big focus on not just the

1135
00:54:07.119 --> 00:54:10.800
games and the players, but also the politics at the time,

1136
00:54:11.079 --> 00:54:13.159
what was happening in the world and how that affected

1137
00:54:13.159 --> 00:54:15.519
the game. And then you know the countries that was

1138
00:54:15.559 --> 00:54:17.760
being played in that always has a factor in it.

1139
00:54:18.079 --> 00:54:21.840
The new edition has two added chapters. One is on

1140
00:54:21.880 --> 00:54:24.079
the twenty twenty two World Cup, the one that we

1141
00:54:24.119 --> 00:54:26.800
went in Katar with that epic final. I was there

1142
00:54:26.800 --> 00:54:28.800
at that game, so I had a lot of firsthand

1143
00:54:28.840 --> 00:54:31.440
reporting in there, so I have that in the book.

1144
00:54:31.480 --> 00:54:33.639
And then I have a chapter that pretty much previews

1145
00:54:33.639 --> 00:54:36.440
this World Cup. I have a pretty funny anecdote of

1146
00:54:37.039 --> 00:54:40.559
the FIVA president this past summer during an encounter the

1147
00:54:40.599 --> 00:54:43.000
media had with him at Trump Tower in New York,

1148
00:54:43.000 --> 00:54:44.840
and I was there for it. So it's got some

1149
00:54:44.880 --> 00:54:47.679
funny anecdotes in there about that meeting, which was a

1150
00:54:47.760 --> 00:54:49.880
little unusual, and that was right on the eve of

1151
00:54:49.920 --> 00:54:52.280
the Club World Cup that I told you about last

1152
00:54:52.360 --> 00:54:55.480
July and New York, so it's got some firsthand reporting

1153
00:54:55.480 --> 00:54:58.079
in it. A lot of stuff has happened the last

1154
00:54:58.119 --> 00:55:00.679
four years, of course soccer wise that really matters. And

1155
00:55:00.679 --> 00:55:02.599
there's a bit of a preview on the US, Mexico

1156
00:55:02.599 --> 00:55:04.840
and Canada. I couldn't preview all the countries, of course,

1157
00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:07.159
because we didn't know the countries that they were going

1158
00:55:07.199 --> 00:55:09.119
to qualify, so I was in the same predicament, only

1159
00:55:09.119 --> 00:55:11.719
my deadline was much sooner than Panini's. So that's what

1160
00:55:11.719 --> 00:55:13.519
the book is really about. You can get it on Amazon.

1161
00:55:13.559 --> 00:55:15.480
It's currently in pre sale. The book comes out in

1162
00:55:15.480 --> 00:55:18.360
March nineteenth. The World Cup is June eleventh, so a

1163
00:55:18.440 --> 00:55:20.079
bit of a buffer. But if you want to order

1164
00:55:20.119 --> 00:55:22.400
it now on Amazon, you can. You can do a search,

1165
00:55:22.599 --> 00:55:23.960
look it up, order it and you'll get it in

1166
00:55:24.000 --> 00:55:27.440
the mail on March nineteenth, right around Saint Patrick's Day,

1167
00:55:27.440 --> 00:55:29.320
and it's a good book for as a gift for

1168
00:55:29.400 --> 00:55:31.639
Father's Day. If you want to read about the World Cup.

1169
00:55:31.679 --> 00:55:34.119
If you're a collector, for example, and you don't know

1170
00:55:34.119 --> 00:55:36.639
who to collect or why you should collect somebody, you know,

1171
00:55:36.679 --> 00:55:39.000
reading a little history of the game might help you know.

1172
00:55:39.079 --> 00:55:41.400
And also watching the World Cup and reading a few

1173
00:55:41.480 --> 00:55:44.400
chapters of the last few World Cups heading into it

1174
00:55:44.440 --> 00:55:46.320
gives you a little bit of some groundwork. And like

1175
00:55:46.400 --> 00:55:49.079
you said, the book is concise because you know, I

1176
00:55:49.119 --> 00:55:51.159
could have written a two thousand page book, but nobody

1177
00:55:51.199 --> 00:55:54.199
wants that, right, so, you know, so we the goal

1178
00:55:54.320 --> 00:55:57.239
was to keep it as tight as possible. We're covering

1179
00:55:57.280 --> 00:55:58.920
almost one hundred years here, so all.

1180
00:55:58.880 --> 00:56:01.480
Of those you did a great job. And I like,

1181
00:56:01.920 --> 00:56:04.840
you know, we think we forget that's what happens in

1182
00:56:04.920 --> 00:56:08.719
life affects what happens in sports, right, And how some

1183
00:56:08.760 --> 00:56:11.440
of these wars and what's going you mentioned like politics

1184
00:56:11.800 --> 00:56:15.360
and wars and countries who really can't stand each other

1185
00:56:15.440 --> 00:56:18.559
would want to wipe each other of the earth at

1186
00:56:18.559 --> 00:56:24.360
the time. You know, how that played into the tournament

1187
00:56:24.440 --> 00:56:27.360
field and where games can be played or not played

1188
00:56:27.800 --> 00:56:30.159
or hey, if they're here, we're not going to be

1189
00:56:30.679 --> 00:56:33.400
you know, that sort of thing, and sometimes we don't

1190
00:56:33.400 --> 00:56:36.599
always think about that aspect. And you know, just like

1191
00:56:37.119 --> 00:56:40.119
just what we're seeing today with the Olympics, about this

1192
00:56:41.000 --> 00:56:43.960
happen in the Winter Olympics for hockey, and there's no

1193
00:56:44.079 --> 00:56:47.679
Russian there's not going to be a Russian entry into

1194
00:56:47.760 --> 00:56:52.320
the ice hockey competition, right, And it's twenty twenty six, right,

1195
00:56:52.400 --> 00:56:56.159
this is an old school war. You know, this is modern,

1196
00:56:56.599 --> 00:57:01.119
modern day, and it's still things like that still are happening.

1197
00:57:01.239 --> 00:57:04.519
So I'm a history guy, I'm a history of sports.

1198
00:57:04.880 --> 00:57:07.199
I'm a world history guy. And so when those two

1199
00:57:07.320 --> 00:57:11.440
kind of meld or go hand in hand, I find

1200
00:57:11.480 --> 00:57:15.880
it very interesting. Not that you like controversy or bad things,

1201
00:57:15.960 --> 00:57:18.679
but it is part of the fabric of how we're

1202
00:57:18.679 --> 00:57:21.840
here where we are today, like it or not, and

1203
00:57:22.840 --> 00:57:26.199
I love learning about it. And you know, like they say,

1204
00:57:26.239 --> 00:57:29.079
you learn about that's how we avoid future stuff, maybe

1205
00:57:29.119 --> 00:57:32.280
from mistakes in the past. Sometimes we do learn that.

1206
00:57:32.920 --> 00:57:38.559
In other instances we repeat those But I love learning

1207
00:57:38.639 --> 00:57:41.480
about that. And then when you encompass sports in there

1208
00:57:41.800 --> 00:57:44.639
as well, I love it even even more so because

1209
00:57:44.639 --> 00:57:47.639
it's like two checkboxes for me and like I said,

1210
00:57:47.880 --> 00:57:50.719
this is not, this is not I'm not a salesman,

1211
00:57:50.760 --> 00:57:52.760
but you just the way you did it and the

1212
00:57:52.800 --> 00:57:55.719
way you wrote it, you're very talented, and he made

1213
00:57:55.760 --> 00:58:00.000
it interesting, you know, whether you're a die hard side

1214
00:58:01.119 --> 00:58:04.239
or a casual, which I would, you know, describe myself

1215
00:58:04.280 --> 00:58:08.400
as it was just very enthralling and interesting. I kept

1216
00:58:08.400 --> 00:58:12.280
turning pages and reading more and more, and you know,

1217
00:58:12.360 --> 00:58:15.960
it's important. It's important to you know, we're here because

1218
00:58:15.960 --> 00:58:18.639
of what happened before we got he you think all

1219
00:58:18.679 --> 00:58:22.159
that stuff is important to know and or at least

1220
00:58:22.199 --> 00:58:22.440
to me.

1221
00:58:22.840 --> 00:58:25.360
You know, the goal is to always make the accessible

1222
00:58:25.400 --> 00:58:28.960
to everybody. But you know, even for myself, someone who's

1223
00:58:29.000 --> 00:58:31.960
watched the game for decades, just being able to peel

1224
00:58:32.000 --> 00:58:34.840
back a little bit, do some research, learn things along

1225
00:58:34.840 --> 00:58:36.559
the wind, and share them with other people. That's really

1226
00:58:36.559 --> 00:58:39.400
what motivates me. Ultimately, I could tell stories. That's why

1227
00:58:39.679 --> 00:58:42.360
I write magazine stories, That's why I write newspaper stories.

1228
00:58:42.400 --> 00:58:44.960
I work for various websites. I I like to write

1229
00:58:44.960 --> 00:58:47.800
books because I like to look at a story, find stories,

1230
00:58:47.840 --> 00:58:49.880
and then tell these stories to other people, whether it's

1231
00:58:49.880 --> 00:58:52.800
about sports or the hobby, or politics or whatever it is, religion,

1232
00:58:53.159 --> 00:58:55.360
these things are all matter to us. And I agree.

1233
00:58:55.400 --> 00:58:57.480
The World Cup is one of those events like the Olympics,

1234
00:58:57.480 --> 00:59:03.239
where it's international, encompasses different cultures and nationalities, and ultimately

1235
00:59:03.280 --> 00:59:05.440
it does reflect what's happening in the world. Like you

1236
00:59:05.480 --> 00:59:08.280
mentioned the hockey tournament not having Russia. This has happened

1237
00:59:08.280 --> 00:59:10.039
before in history, it will happen again. And you're right,

1238
00:59:10.079 --> 00:59:12.360
this is not about some far far off place. I'm

1239
00:59:12.360 --> 00:59:14.320
talking about the present. And you know the World Cup

1240
00:59:14.360 --> 00:59:17.960
doesn't have any political tensions at the moment, but you

1241
00:59:18.039 --> 00:59:19.639
never know what can happen in the world. You know,

1242
00:59:19.760 --> 00:59:23.440
we live in times where wars can break out any moment.

1243
00:59:23.519 --> 00:59:25.840
So it's a great guide book if you look, if

1244
00:59:25.840 --> 00:59:27.960
you're going to this World Cup, I'll leave you with this.

1245
00:59:28.000 --> 00:59:30.440
If you're going in those World Cup this summer without

1246
00:59:30.480 --> 00:59:32.840
ever really watching the World Cup, we're experiencing it. The

1247
00:59:32.880 --> 00:59:35.039
book is really a great guide to say, you know what,

1248
00:59:35.119 --> 00:59:37.760
let me do a little cramming before the final exam.

1249
00:59:37.840 --> 00:59:39.679
Let me do a little reading on what this, what's

1250
00:59:39.679 --> 00:59:40.679
all the craziness about it?

1251
00:59:40.800 --> 00:59:43.199
Get your uses flow and get your hyped up for.

1252
00:59:43.199 --> 00:59:45.480
It exactly exactly and and March is a good and

1253
00:59:45.519 --> 00:59:47.440
March is a good time. March is about the time

1254
00:59:47.440 --> 00:59:50.079
people the hype will start building, and you know, were

1255
00:59:50.079 --> 00:59:52.039
closer and closer to the hyper is already building. It's

1256
00:59:52.039 --> 00:59:54.039
been building for years now. But now that we're really

1257
00:59:54.039 --> 00:59:55.760
in the same calendar year as the World Cup, I

1258
00:59:55.760 --> 00:59:56.639
think the hype is here.

1259
00:59:57.079 --> 01:00:00.480
When you can start counting down days in the double

1260
01:00:00.519 --> 01:00:04.360
on single digits, you know you're closed. You know that's

1261
01:00:04.360 --> 01:00:08.039
that's huge, and having it here in our home country

1262
01:00:08.800 --> 01:00:12.840
even even cooler right in various cities, and Canada is

1263
01:00:12.880 --> 01:00:14.880
not that far away. I don't know if I'm going

1264
01:00:14.960 --> 01:00:18.800
to get to go, especially with all this frice, but like,

1265
01:00:18.880 --> 01:00:21.639
I'm not super far. I'm not. I never say never.

1266
01:00:22.079 --> 01:00:25.079
I'm gonna leave the door open. But you know, Toronto's

1267
01:00:25.119 --> 01:00:28.920
not too far from me. I'm in Syracuse, but I'm

1268
01:00:28.960 --> 01:00:32.760
from New York City. That's only two hundred thirty forty

1269
01:00:32.800 --> 01:00:36.599
miles from where I am that way. I love Boston.

1270
01:00:36.639 --> 01:00:39.679
I just went there for the first time in September,

1271
01:00:39.679 --> 01:00:42.679
believe it or not. And great city, so I wouldn't

1272
01:00:42.719 --> 01:00:45.760
rule that off the table either. So maybe I know

1273
01:00:45.840 --> 01:00:47.800
my son would like I know, we talked last night

1274
01:00:48.000 --> 01:00:50.599
my son would would like to go if we can,

1275
01:00:50.719 --> 01:00:54.320
and so I'm not closing that door. We'll see what's

1276
01:00:54.400 --> 01:00:58.000
available and where, and you know, well how the dates

1277
01:00:58.119 --> 01:01:00.920
might work in times, but you know, if you get

1278
01:01:00.920 --> 01:01:03.599
a chance to go, right, you don't get this. You

1279
01:01:03.679 --> 01:01:06.760
don't get the World Cup all the time, obviously, and

1280
01:01:06.800 --> 01:01:09.440
you don't get the World Cup in general. It's every

1281
01:01:09.480 --> 01:01:12.840
four years, and so when it's in your country, who

1282
01:01:12.920 --> 01:01:16.239
knows when you get it back again. So when it's there,

1283
01:01:16.280 --> 01:01:18.239
you you got to try to get there if you can.

1284
01:01:18.360 --> 01:01:20.599
I mean, you went the guitar to go see the

1285
01:01:20.679 --> 01:01:24.320
world you know, right, and now it's right in our backyard.

1286
01:01:24.360 --> 01:01:27.639
So you know, if you get a chance to go,

1287
01:01:28.679 --> 01:01:31.119
you know, and it's an event, it's right, it's the

1288
01:01:31.239 --> 01:01:34.360
super Bowl, you know, we talk about Super Bowl right

1289
01:01:34.400 --> 01:01:37.440
in the NFL. Right, people go go to that event

1290
01:01:37.480 --> 01:01:41.159
and aren't even football like American football fans in an event,

1291
01:01:42.079 --> 01:01:44.360
I think the World yeah, I think the World Cup

1292
01:01:44.480 --> 01:01:48.199
is the same as that. Some people might be shaking

1293
01:01:48.199 --> 01:01:51.679
their head. I don't really care, but it's the proof's

1294
01:01:51.679 --> 01:01:54.199
in the pudding, right, This is a it's called the

1295
01:01:54.239 --> 01:01:58.360
World Cup, you know, so and here it is on

1296
01:01:58.920 --> 01:01:59.599
our home.

1297
01:01:59.440 --> 01:02:03.639
Soil and Canada and Mexican some opportunities to even if

1298
01:02:03.679 --> 01:02:07.360
you make a vacation inside the trip to see some

1299
01:02:07.679 --> 01:02:10.840
you know, soccer being as well, there's always that aspect.

1300
01:02:10.920 --> 01:02:15.239
So Clemente, I appreciate you dropping some knowledge on me

1301
01:02:15.360 --> 01:02:18.559
and those listening. Give out again, if you want to

1302
01:02:18.599 --> 01:02:21.320
plug where people can get the book, where people can

1303
01:02:21.400 --> 01:02:25.440
see what you're writing and doing and anything, take your

1304
01:02:25.440 --> 01:02:29.320
time website the floors yours to give out that information.

1305
01:02:29.679 --> 01:02:33.239
I'll also put this in the show notes for episode

1306
01:02:33.239 --> 01:02:36.360
notes as well, so even if they don't catch it verbally,

1307
01:02:36.800 --> 01:02:38.559
they can catch it in the show notes. We go

1308
01:02:38.559 --> 01:02:39.000
go ahead.

1309
01:02:39.199 --> 01:02:41.199
Yeah, yeah, I think I'd to send you this stuff earlier.

1310
01:02:41.199 --> 01:02:43.559
But yeah, I could be found on Twitter or x

1311
01:02:43.639 --> 01:02:47.199
at Clemente Lisi and then I also write for various

1312
01:02:47.239 --> 01:02:51.119
hobby publications including Sports Collectors, Digesting and find my stuff there.

1313
01:02:51.679 --> 01:02:55.000
I also work for write for puck jump dot com.

1314
01:02:55.000 --> 01:02:58.519
I also am a regular on Sal Barry's podcast, I Sal.

1315
01:02:59.039 --> 01:03:02.000
And then I saw my own substack where I write

1316
01:03:02.000 --> 01:03:07.000
about soccer at Planet Soccer dot substack dot com. And

1317
01:03:07.039 --> 01:03:08.559
you know, you can hit me up on all these platforms,

1318
01:03:08.559 --> 01:03:12.840
and of course The book is available at Bluesberry Publishing.

1319
01:03:12.880 --> 01:03:16.679
It's also available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

1320
01:03:16.679 --> 01:03:17.599
I love to say that.

1321
01:03:17.639 --> 01:03:22.039
There you go and listen. I promise it won't be through. Well.

1322
01:03:22.039 --> 01:03:25.320
We're gonna do a post World Cup sort of recap

1323
01:03:25.519 --> 01:03:29.119
and how it went, maybe what happened with those tickets,

1324
01:03:29.199 --> 01:03:31.760
and see how this all plays out, and kind of

1325
01:03:31.760 --> 01:03:34.320
do a post game if you will. I know it's

1326
01:03:34.360 --> 01:03:37.840
more than one post World Cup sort of recap, and

1327
01:03:38.719 --> 01:03:41.519
then even after that, I promise not to make it

1328
01:03:41.559 --> 01:03:42.679
three years.

1329
01:03:42.360 --> 01:03:45.639
Well between I will. I will close it off with

1330
01:03:45.719 --> 01:03:48.960
this by saying that the World Cup Final is July nineteenth.

1331
01:03:49.079 --> 01:03:51.039
It is in New York. It also the same weekend

1332
01:03:51.119 --> 01:03:53.119
as fanax Fest, so I'll probably try to be at

1333
01:03:53.119 --> 01:03:55.920
both the final and nax Fest. And then two weeks later,

1334
01:03:56.239 --> 01:03:58.199
at the end of July is the National in Chicago.

1335
01:03:58.239 --> 01:03:59.840
I'll be there as well. I think I'm gonna have

1336
01:03:59.880 --> 01:04:01.760
a busy July, but it'll be a lot of fun.

1337
01:04:02.000 --> 01:04:05.239
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. And you do a great

1338
01:04:05.320 --> 01:04:09.800
job covering it and getting that information out to everybody

1339
01:04:09.800 --> 01:04:15.000
who maybe can't always as well. So Clemente always appreciate it.

1340
01:04:15.119 --> 01:04:19.039
Love chopping it up, which thanks as always, Thank you,

1341
01:04:20.280 --> 01:04:24.519
honestly one of my favorite dudes in the Hobby. I'm

1342
01:04:24.559 --> 01:04:26.599
not going to be shy away from saying that love

1343
01:04:27.039 --> 01:04:33.000
Clemente and glad he can bring his knowledge and expertise

1344
01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:38.480
to this show, especially with soccer, something I'm not as

1345
01:04:38.599 --> 01:04:42.719
well versed on obviously, but always love. I don't matter

1346
01:04:42.760 --> 01:04:44.679
what we're talking about. If I see him in person

1347
01:04:44.719 --> 01:04:47.800
and we're talking about life, it doesn't matter. I just

1348
01:04:47.960 --> 01:04:51.840
enjoy chopping it up with him. So we're gonna hear

1349
01:04:51.920 --> 01:04:55.280
from our Hobby is the People Announcer of the Week

1350
01:04:55.400 --> 01:04:58.320
and kind of wrap up today's episode. We went a

1351
01:04:58.320 --> 01:05:01.639
little bit longer, but we don't. I don't like to

1352
01:05:01.639 --> 01:05:04.199
cut anything out, so we did it.

1353
01:05:05.199 --> 01:05:09.079
Time for our Hobby is the People Announcer of the Week.

1354
01:05:12.119 --> 01:05:15.719
This is King Nascar from the NASCAR Radio Podcast. And

1355
01:05:15.840 --> 01:05:18.440
remember the Hobby is the People.

1356
01:05:19.079 --> 01:05:21.280
If you'd like to be the Hobby is the People

1357
01:05:21.320 --> 01:05:24.119
Announcer of the Week to a one or m P

1358
01:05:24.280 --> 01:05:28.199
three file and send it to Sportscard Nation PC at

1359
01:05:28.239 --> 01:05:30.760
gmail dot com.