One of and probably the best performance that I have seen for the U.S. men's national team under Mauricio Poititino.

Why should I care about this game tonight?

Why should I care about this team until next summer?

I don't know. Do you need somebody bleeding on the field and an American eagle like running out there that like you're like, that's America? And maybe I just can't wait to get to next summer when there is no more butts. You're now a little bit afraid to commit again. You are. You are. I think you are. I think you are afraid to open yourself back up again to give yourself back with this team. I've been hurt. I've been hurt, Stu. I'm aware. He is by far and away our best player. And with him on the field, we are a different team. We have an ability to beat teams that we can't when he's not there. And so whatever happened with him in the summer, the form that he's in with right now with A.C. Milan, he is our message.

Hello, Sunshine. 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 is a special live show with instant reaction

to the just completed USA versus Ecuador-friendly, ending in a one-one tie, draw,

whatever you want to call it.

Remind your World Cup, 2026, kicks off in 244 days. So first joining me as always my friend, my colleague, my guiding lights, David Mossie, a soccer savant, a Fox Soccer, Research, and Writer, extraordinary, and back for more and more, especially on these live shows. You know him, you love him. Well, at least you know him. Our good friends do holden this here. Gentlemen, how are we doing after that results?

For those of you watching us, you'll notice I've made a wardrobe change.

The Yankees hat is in hibernation for the winter since the Yankees are out of the playoffs.

Congratulations to Director Gabe on his Blue Jays knocking out the Yankees.

I am wearing a Michigan hat, and I will be wearing a Michigan hat again tomorrow at the Coliseum. I have procured a ticket for the game. I will be there, Michigan at USC. You can officially retire that. What day is Thanksgiving? Ohio State, Michigan. You can retire that the very next day. You'll be done for the year, my friend. Yeah, you told us about your saga to try to get one of those tickets. But evidently you've got it.

You're going to head off to the Coliseum and check out your Wolverines there. Stu, welcome back. Let's go to you first. Instant reaction. That's what this show is about after that one-one result. Okay. I've been toggling with this for a minute as we were coming up here, but this is

one of and probably the best performance that I have seen for the U.S.

men's national team under Maricio Pochitino against a real team.

And I think when we consider some of the Gold Cup matches that this team

had, it was a B team. It wasn't the same type of opposition that you would expect to get

against one of the best South American opponents in Ecuador. And outside of a mistake that led

to a goal for Ecuador in the first half that I thought the U.S. were dominant, and then they end up

...