Hi, I'm Grant Wall. And welcome to the Planet Football Podcast. Brian Strauss and I are back after five weeks in Russia and maybe like you, we're going through World Cup withdrawal.

We'll talk about that and other things in the soccer world including

Meset-OZil and National Identity, the U.S. women's national team's Four Nations

Tournament, Joseph Martinez and Atlanta, our thoughts on the ICC and both New York

MLS coaches leaving while we were in Russia. A reminder, please rate, review,

and subscribe to our podcast. It helps people find us.

Odd word.

Let's bring in Brian Strauss from Washington, D.C.

I'm here at home in New York.

Brian, how are you? Back in my shorts on my couch.

Why are we here today?

Why are you and I not on vacation somewhere on a beach?

I know, I'll explain my situation but like why are you not on vacation?

Well I took a vacation in February when I went to Bolivia right because I was kind of like on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

Okay.

And so then I got back and then it was just like three months of right non-stop world cup I don't know

mania hysteria is complete laser focus obsession and and so there was no time I I don't I don't I don't I don't multitask. So all I wanted to do was get to Russia and and and

do do a halfway decent job if I got lucky and survive and you know not get not get

gulag or conscripted or eaten by wolves and and I don't know I never thought

about what I was going to do when I got back so

obviously now I'm back and there's the inevitable complete emotional crash that

results from putting every single one of your eggs in one basket for three years.

...