The following podcast contains explicit language.

Hi, this is Josh Levine, and this is Slate Sports Podcast Hang Up and Listen for the week of July 6th, 2014.

On this week's show, we'll talk about Namar's injury, the Dutch goalkeeper's penalty shootout,

psychout of Costa Rica, what makes Leonel

Messi great, and the upcoming World Cup semis between Brazil and Germany and Argentina and the

Netherlands. We'll also be joined by Ben Rothenberg at the New York Times to discuss Novak

Joachovic's dramatic five-set win over Roger Federer and other Wimbledon matters. We will all

change into white for that segment.

And Major League Eating CEO and Nathan's hot dog eating contest in Prisario, George Shea, will be with us to delve into the past, present, and future of competitive eating.

And in our bonus segment for Slate Plus members, we'll check in on the latest from NBA Free Agency, and hopefully LeBron James won't announce

that he is going to Phoenix five minutes after we finish recording today's show.

I'm alone again in Slate's Washington, D.C. studio, without even a soft rock ballad to console me.

Right, Mike?

Curia lays on on the road that I must travel, but no.

Not even a soft rock ballad to console me.

Joining from upstate New York is Stefan Fatsas, the author of the book's word,

Freaking a Few Seconds of Panic, the Friday sports correspondent friend Perez All Things

Considered.

I want to know what love is, Stefan, and I want you to show me.

Oh, it was the second part that got me.

You know, we're not going to get to this in the World Cup conversation, but I read

yesterday that Freddie Adu has just received an invitation to train with Azzed Al-Kmar in the

...