Instant Reaction: Balogun and Zendejas Lift USMNT to Victory

Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast

FOX Sports

Soccer, News, Sports, Sports News

4.4 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Alexi Lalas, Stu Holden, and David Mosse deliver their instant reaction to the USMNT’s needed win over Japan in their second match of the September international window. The guys break down the starting XI, tactical adjustments, and the standout performances that led to goals from Alex Zendejas and Folarin Balogun. From individual player grades to big-picture takeaways, they discuss what this result means for the team’s depth, chemistry, and momentum heading into a critical stretch. To close out the show, the crew looks ahead to the USMNT’s upcoming schedule, and World Cup qualifying matches around the globe. Intro (0:00)USMNT Tops Japan (2:10)Back 3 Formation (4:43)Is Matt Freese #1? (9:45)Did Balogun Take the Lead Up Top? (13:20)Mauricio Pochettino Reacts to the Critics (18:20)Mexico vs South Korea (27:50)How different do you expect the next window to look for the USMNT? (28:01)Upcoming Matches (33:45)World Cup Qualifying (41:40) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I recognize that I can be an ass.
0:03.0	Alright?
0:04.0	Let's stick with this formation.
0:05.0	This is the best formation, the best system.
0:07.0	Here we go.
0:08.0	A violin piquino, Mauricio.
0:10.0	If you're a player in that moment and you get called up to this next window,
0:15.0	you're thinking, hey man, I have a real shot to make the World Cup.
0:19.0	All bets are off right now, okay?
0:21.2	I am willing to give him some grace.
0:23.4	I disagree with it.
0:24.9	It angered me, as anybody that watched the show saw,
0:28.5	but I am willing to say, okay, fine.
0:30.7	This window is over.
0:32.7	Training sessions are done.
0:34.8	The real games start in the next window.
0:58.7	Hello, Sunshine. I'm Alexi Lalas, and welcome the State of the Union podcast.
1:02.9	We look at the beautiful game on and off the field through the lens of red, white, and blue.
1:05.3	Colored glasses. You know them, you love them.
1:10.4	This show is a live instant reaction of the just completed USA versus Japan game,
1:11.7	which happened Tuesday.
1:14.8	It was a friendly from Columbus, Ohio, just finished.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from FOX Sports, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of FOX Sports and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.