Welcome to USMNTEEKIN. Welcome to USMNT weekly on The Total Soccer Show.

It's our regular foray into all things men's national team.

On this episode, we're looking ahead to the USMNT World Cup roster drop,

and we're making our predictions for who is going to make that cut.

My name's Ryan Bailey.

Joining me today, one of the folks making those decisions on those cuts. Well, not literally, but on this show anyway, Taylor Rockwell, hello.

That would be some pressure, because I felt pressure just assembling my theoretical roster.

To get a random phone call and to pick up and have it be like a desperate potch asking me if Xavier Gozo should be included would be maybe more pressure than I'm able of handling. I'm imagining Potch picking up his landline phone, twirling the cord in his fingers. Hey, Taylor, hey, do it. Have you decided who we pick it? The extra long one. Just doing some doodles on the doodling pad in the kitchen. His parents telling him to put the phone down and come down for dinner.

Oh, it's quite a tableau we've painted. Graeme Ruffin, hello. How are you? I'm good, Ryan Bailey. 22 days until the start of the World Cup, 23 days until the USA's opener against Paraguay. I am actually past the terrified stage now. I'm really quite excited, which I knew it would happen. I knew this would be the phase that I would enter this close to the tournament.

I think once squads start

getting announced, of course, the US squad being announced next week, which is why we're doing

this prediction episode this week. This is our last opportunity to lock these in when we can

gloat when we get absolutely everything right. Of course that will happen. So Brazil's very

normal and totally hinged squad announcement with Namar being called up and Obi-1,

Obi-1 canobi announced in the Scotland squad yesterday as well, so I'm excited. Very good.

Excitement all around. Joe Lowry included, hello Joe. I've got the desk in standing mode today. That's how excited I am. What? Yeah, this is a real deal kind of show, folks. Let's go. Is it one of those ones where you push a button? It goes, it goes up. You have to press and hold it, which I suppose is ideal. You don't just want to press it unless there's a bunch of presets. But yeah, I had to strain my thumb to press and hold myself into standing mode.

But now that I'm here, I'm loving life.

Yes, Taylor. So the stand-up desk got a lot of questions about. Obi-Wan Kenobi announcing the Scotland Squad, no questions. We're just going to blow right back. You know, McGregor, Scottish, said things about Scotland. Just making sure. Yeah. That's what we're looking for.

That never got mentioned in there. We have the force. Do you? We have the force. Yeah, we do. For now we do. Until the game's start. Episode one, force, that kind of force? Yeah. Prequel source. Force even. Yep. Yep. I like that. Very good. All right. plenty to to talk about on this episode, we are as noted, going to make our 26th selection or what we think Pocetina will make more specifically next week.

Before we get there, hey, Graham, in about 22 days' time, is anything else happening in Los Angeles?

Indeed, there is. TSS World Cup live at the El Re Theater,

really not long at all until we take to the stage there on that night. The night before the

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