Weston for me is the best player the U.S. national team has.

I expect the team to get into the knockout rounds,

and I expect them to create some excitement in the United States,

and I expect them to compete like we've seen some great U.S. teams compete before.

Growing up in Cleveland, I never once thought about playing college soccer, little professional

soccer. It was much better competition than, than I think, now. It's the great thing about

the United States, and it's the hindrance for development in the United States. There's

a lot of fallback options. Do you want to get out and have a better life? You become a professional footballer. I'm proud of in the women's game that they actually set the stall out in 91 and won the first World Cup. And they told the rest of the world what was going on. They showed everybody in the world what was going on soccer. That was the biggest challenge and people still forget that. That we are still trying

to prove ourselves, but we were even trying to prove ourselves in 94. Even when you go back

in the history of the game, you know, what was the legacy of 94? Well, it was like, you know,

hosting at a time where people were doubting U.S. soccer, why did FIFA even give it to us?

I like seeing a challenge for a striker, like a goal score. I like seeing

different people that can score. And even now, maybe the resurgence of like a Ricardo

Pepe, where does he fit into this balligan and everybody else? Hello, Sunshine, I'm Alexi Lalas, and welcome in the State of the Union podcast.

We look at the beautiful game on and off the field through the lens of red, white, and blue-colored glasses.

As you can see, this is a special show coming to you from downtown St. Louis, Missouri at the Missouri Athletic Club,

the longtime home of the Mack Herman Trophy presentation, which honors the best men's and women's collegiate soccer players of the year.

We will be talking here in St. Louis to the Mack Herman finalists, to some of their coaches,

and a few U.S. soccer legends that are here.

So let's light this candle.

All right.

Welcome, Brad Friedel to the State of the Union.

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