The Underdog

We Came to Win

Gimlet

Sports, Soccer, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.3 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2018

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Making it to the World Cup had long been a dream of American defender Jimmy Conrad’s, and at the age of 29, he finally got his chance. U.S. coach Bruce Arena named Jimmy to the 2006 World Cup squad. Unfortunately, he spent the first game watching from the bench. It wasn’t until deep into the second game, when the U.S. was down a man and fighting for survival against the powerful Italians, that Jimmy was called in. Hear how he went from riding the bench to holding the line in one of the most epic matches in U.S. soccer history. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I remember watching the 86 World Cup and had a shaky pizza and the TV was super small and really fuzzy and you couldn't really
0:14.6	make out who was who, but the energy was there and there were a lot of people there
0:18.4	so you could get kind of caught up in their enthusiasm, which is the power of the sport in the World Cup
0:22.3	in particular.
0:23.0	The 1986 World Cup final.
0:30.0	We got to idolize certain players,
0:32.0	whether it was Michelle Plitini or Diego Maradonna,
0:35.5	these giant godlike players making incredible plays and doing things that you only,
0:40.6	you wish you could do.
0:42.0	She rest to wash the top.
0:44.0	Deflection.
0:45.0	Stop you right.
0:46.0	I just remember being caught up in it
0:51.0	and just marveling at how great these players were and what they did and how they moved and it's just planting that seed of this being more than just a hobby.
1:00.0	This is an art form and to perfect it would be something special.
1:04.0	That little kid, sitting on the floor eating pizza would grow up to be Jimmy Conrad, the former US men's national team defender.
1:17.0	Today we find out how Jimmy went from watching the World Cup on TV to playing in one. And playing in a game that has gone down as one of the most
1:26.1	epic matches in US soccer history. I'm Nando Vila and from Gimlet Media, this is We Came to Win, Extra Time. About a month before the World Cup kicks off, each national team names their squad.
1:55.0	It's a huge moment for players, one of joy and relief for those who make the cut.
2:03.0	But for the guys who don't make the cut, it's pure agony and despair.
2:08.0	World Cups only come around once every four years,
2:11.0	so a lot of players only ever get one shot. Before the US
	...

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