I just remain unconcerned with Christian Polisic in that I think he'll be there this summer,

and I think that he is going to be the star that we need him to be.

Johnny's problem has always been what he does when he gets to the U.S. men's national team.

If you come in and you kick ass for me at the international level for the U.S. team, I don't care,

but that has not been the case. All right, Stu, look, I get it. You love Nookai Banks. I mean, why don't you marry him? Jeez. We're going to start the World Cup with somebody that doesn't have a single minute playing for the U.S. men's national team. What is the single club that seeing an American star for them every week would give you the biggest rush. If the U.S. men's national team. What is the single club that seeing an American star for them every week would give you

the biggest rush?

If the U.S. men's national team were to win a World Cup, I think it would be ten times

the effect.

But there is something about that moment in 1980 that touched Americans in a way that I think is hard to replicate,

especially when you're talking about a sport that, for lack of a better phrase,

isn't perceived to be our own.

You know, Hello, Sunshine. I'm Alexi Lalas, and welcome to the State of the Union podcast, where we look at the beautiful game on and off the field through the lens of red, white, and blue colored

glasses.

This show will be talking, ooh, politic panic, 1994 reunion, Gators, Hamez, Incoming, F1, Miracle on

Grass, question mark, Rinaldo Strike, Parch versus Waya, and so much more.

But first joining us all as my friend, my colleague, my guiding lights, David Mossie, a soccer

savant, and a Fox Soccer researcher and writer extraordinaire.

Mossie, how you doing on this Wednesday, February 4th in the year 2026?

I'm doing well. Welcome back. I hope your chair is okay. Stu didn't mess with it too much. It's26. I'm doing well. Welcome back.

I hope your chair is okay.

Stu didn't mess with it too much. It's wonderful. I will say thank you once again, as we always do, to Stu Holden for coming in and co-hosting yet again. I don't know how many times it's been. He did a wonderful job. I listened to the show on my way back the other day. Oh, by the way, before we do that, for those that are watching the show, if you see my sweatshirt here from Lexington SC, all right? Thank you so much for

sending this out, obviously an affinity given my name. A lot of people in my life call me Lex,

...