Hey, prime members, you can listen to the lead ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.

Well done. You've sorted through the embarrassment of riches that is the modern podcast landscape and found me Rob Briden on my podcast.

In this series of Briden and I talk to among others, Harry Hill, Ben Elton, Charlotte Church, Steve Cougan and Dame Harriet Walter.

And that's just a few. We tend to chat for about 45 minutes to an hour never longer. It's terrific conversation,

reminiscent, sweat appropriate and exchange of anecdotes. So do join me Rob Briden wherever you get your podcasts.

New episodes of Briden and are available early and ad-free on Amazon Music or by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app.

By newest to the val, the games opening up, Rose LaFalle, lovely round. Great goal. Brilliant goal. Rose LaFalle might have won the World Cup for the United States.

Four years ago, the US women's national soccer team did what we've come to expect them to do. They won the World Cup.

For the fourth time, the United States of America are cram champions of the world. And for the very first time they've done it on European soil.

But since then, the team has hit some pretty serious roadblocks.

With the US women at the disastrous start to their Olympic campaign, of course being beaten by Sweden, by three goals to nail at a mega-ripe.

After a series of uncharacteristic losses and some devastating injuries, the team has now been stretched thinner than it has been in quite some time.

This is bad news. This is real bad news. And I think it changes the ceiling for the US women's national team at the World Cup. I think it's that significant of an injury.

Today, Jeff Roeder of the Athletic breaks down the US's quest for a third straight World Cup. The young stars will have a chance to shine.

And the teams that stand between the US and its shot at history. From Wondering, I'm Anders Keltow. It's Friday, July 14th. And this is Goody.

Jeff Roeder, it's only been six months or so since the men's World Cup wrapped up. So I have to ask, are you emotionally prepared for another month straight of watching soccer all day every day?

Emotionally, I'm in a good spot. I think it's more about my sleep schedule, my logistics, time off, these things. Usually that gap year, that additional six months between a summer World Cup and a summer World Cup is worth its weight and gold.

That's not the world FIFA has given us. And so we're here living in the carnage of what's left.

And we're also looking at a what, 19-hour time difference or 16-hour time difference between the US and Australia and New Zealand.

Yeah, I saw that the US schedule is very friendly until about the quarter final semi-final. And then we'll have to do some of those two AM-3 AM wake up calls that a lot of us had to live through in the 2002 men's World Cup.

And it just is the way it is. It's part of the fun of it. I think it's the positive way you can spin it. And it's a necessary reality of this job is the more realistic approach.

All right, well, Jeff, we wanted to have you break down the US women's quest to win a third straight World Cup here. Something that no team, men's or women's has ever done.

...