Chicken Little was wrong. The sky wasn’t falling for the US national team. In fact, Jurgen Klinsmann’s boys won Group A thanks to a gutty win against Paraguay and some wholesale tinkering by Colombian manager Jose Pekerman against Costa Rica. The guys break down the shorthanded victory in Philly, then look toward Ecuador in the quarterfinals with Fox Sports and Sirius XM pundit (and USMNT legend) Eric Wynalda. Rein in those expectations, but Waldo says the final is possible. FutbolMLS.com’s Kristel Valencia, a daughter of Ecuador, is an enemy until Thursday night, but she gives you the inside scoop anyway.
Of course, the tournament is bigger than Group A. First, the no call that saw Peru sneak past Brazil and eliminate the five-time World Cup winners from the tournament. Was it a handball? Of course, it was, says just about everyone but Raul Ruidiaz. Franco Panizo joins to shine a light behind the scenes, then the guys attempt to play out the tournament via prediction. Will the US make the final? Will Mexico crash out? You’ll have to listen to find out.
In the mailbag, a moment to honor the people of Orlando in their time of mourning followed by a US Open Cup preview, defense of Gyasi Zardes (but not his first touch) and advice on how to survive the summer soccer glut.
