Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Total Soccer Show.

I'm your host Taylor Rockwell.

Daryl is in Boston, though he will be joining me a little later on. But for now, for today, I'm going to be talking to Joe Lowry about the U.S. men's national team, their upcoming game against Mexico on Friday night. We get into the identity and tactics of the current team, who Joe would like to see get more time with the men's national team, and what he will be watching for Friday night, as well as a bit about how we've seen Burrhalter Squad evolve, and then we get into some listener questions. There's a good number of questions in there. We try to answer as many as we can. We also talk statistics at the very end, which I promise is more interesting than it otherwise might sound. So with all of that said, I will turn it over to me talking to Joe.

Joining me now, I've got my friend and yours, and I say that for real, because we love having

Joe on the show.

We think of Joe as a friend, even though we've never met Joe, because he insists on living

on the West Coast, but it's Joe Lowry of the Athletic.

Hello, Joe.

Hi, Taylor.

How are you doing?

Doing well. It is strange to think about.

Like, we've had this experience before with a few people that we've talked to them like five and six times for like hour long shows or 40 minute shows, depending on which way this one goes. And yet we've never met. And we've never met, Joe. So we'll have to remedy that at some point. maybe maybe if and when Phoenix gets their expansion MLS franchise and we go there for the All-Star game, we can hang out.

I like it. That sounds good. Let's pencil that in. maybe if and when Phoenix gets their expansion MLS franchise and we go there for the All-Star game, we can hang out.

I like it. That sounds good. Let's pencil that in.

But until then, we're going to keep having Joe on to discuss the U.S. national team, the tactics they utilize.

Greg Burhalter, the roster, all of those many, many things.

And I actually wanted to start with the roster roster if that works for you, Joe, because

I'm wondering basically how do you treat roster releases? Because I think Daryl tends to get kind of excited about them. He's always pretty amped up for them. He always knows the exact time or the exact day that they're going to be coming out and kind of looks forward to it. I sort of don't. I'm sort of just like, yeah, okay, we'll see how it goes.

And I can't tell if that's because I'm just sort of just like, yeah, okay, we'll see how it goes.

And I can't tell if that's because I'm just used to like the negativity around the team or I'm still a little bit frustrated by the fair to qualify. And so I'm genuinely not sure why it's the case and I'm wondering where you are on this one. Do you get pretty excited for new rosters or Is it just sort of a meh experience?

I think I still do get excited for rosters coming out.

I'm not quite completely jaded to the national team yet. So I like to

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