Are you still at a place where it feels at all plausible that the U.S. could win the 26th?

Sure.

I mean, everything would have to go right.

Winning that round of 32 and then being right back into the 16th, that's the type of moment that they would have to have, where they rise to the occasion.

And because it's at home, I think that there is some added magic that will be in the air.

The air. Hello, Sunshine. I'm Alexei Lalas and welcome.

State of the Union podcast.

We look at the beautiful game on and off the field through the lens of red, white, and blue colored glasses.

This show, oh, this show, we will be talking, Marta bawling, sun coming,

Turner returning, Detroit Leaning, Area 51, World Cup expectations,

the White House, a soccer, Caitlin, and so much more.

But first, you know me as always my friend, my colleague, my guiding light, David Mossie,

a soccer savant and a Fox Soccer researcher, and writer extraordinaire.

Mossie, how are you doing, my friend, on this? What are we looking at? Monday, August 4th in the year 2025. I'm doing well. Welcome back. Thank you. Yes. I was on the road last week. Special thanks to Dougie Mack who sat in admirably and did a wonderful, wonderful job. Sounded good, looked good. I listened to the show. You guys were

wonderful. Yeah, I was on the road. I went to D.C. had an appearance there. I went to the White House.

Then I moved on to Michigan, my old haunts, which was great to go back home. I'll talk a little bit more about

that trip later on in the show. But it was very, very fun. And I had a really, really good

time. And the amount of soccer that I talked was astronomical. And whether it was in D.C., my friend,

or whether it was in Michigan, the people out there send you the best. And so I am relaying all of those wonderful comments that they gave to me about how much they appreciate everything that you do.

So you got that going for you, my friend. Have you been watching or reading or doing anything special?

I actually have a lot. So I'm going to sprinkle it in over the course of our next couple of pods.

I have already ripped through all five episodes of the Tom Brady Birmingham City documentary, which came out on Amazon.

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