U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men's National Soccer Team (2026) s01e04 Episode Script
That Is Football
[TV static drones]
[bright tone]
[tense music]
♪
- As Americans,
we think we know
what passion around sports is.
But look around the world
and what it looks like
around soccer.
♪
We have no idea
what passion is.
[crowd cheering, chanting]
[lively music]
♪
- In the States, you know,
a sports game is usually
just an outing
for--for our families
to go and enjoy
and have a nice day.
[crowd roaring]
Around the world,
people don't go to games
for the fan experience.
It's about the colors.
It's about other players
that you have.
It's about the love
for the badge.
- They want to see
the players on the field
bleed, sweat, and cry
and run and tackle
as hard as they can.
- It's an identity.
It's the way
people live their lives.
- It's a religion.
[crowd cheering, chanting]
- In most countries
around the world,
the national team is viewed
as the be-all and end-all.
♪
- It is everything to them.
And that's not easy
to replicate.
[crowds roaring]
♪
[fireworks popping]
- It's a profound
responsibility that we have,
as--as players
wearing our crest,
to continue to grow the game
and bridge that gap between
the supporters and the players.
[rumbling]
[intense music]
- We're going for it ♪
We're going for it ♪
Jumping off the block,
baby, I was born for it ♪
No need to tally up,
we keep on scoring, scoring ♪
I already been
in that mode ♪
♪
Yeah, I'm just
pushing through it ♪
All eyes on me and they
hate to see me do it ♪
I can't describe
the feeling ♪
That's flowing
all through my veins ♪
When this is
your only choice is ♪
Just to say
my name in vain ♪
You cannot tell me you're
feeling the same thing ♪
It's us against the world ♪
It's really us,
yeah, it's really us ♪
Against the world ♪
- If there was something
to be said negative
about this team
coming out of Qatar,
it was that so many places
in this team
felt like they were locked in.
All of a sudden now,
that was not the case.
- Canada take out
the United States.
- The March Nations League
was a disaster,
a reality check.
- When you don't even put in
a good enough performance
to make the fans say,
"You know what?
"At the end of the day,
OK, we lost, we got unlucky,
but the players didn't show
enough fight."
They might be on to something.
- When you have a coach
that comes in, you know,
like Mauricio,
it could then lead
to outsiders saying,
"OK, well if he can't
"get these guys
to play a certain way,
then maybe it is the players.
- With time ticking down
until the 2026 World Cup,
there were real questions
about how this team
could recover
and get things going again.
- How does the squad's
performance
over the past two games affect
how you approach the Gold Cup?
- Of course, we are open.
I think the roster--
we are open to the roster.
We are going to find
a way to perform,
and for sure,
we are going to compete.
Thank you. Thank you.
Gracias, gracias.
- The two friendlies
after Nations League
and before Gold Cup--
the results were not so great.
A loss against Turkey,
then get smoked
by Switzerland.
And yeah, our back's
against the wall,
like, coming into Gold Cup.
- Going into Gold Cup,
it was an opportunity
for all of us
to showcase who we are
and how we can help the team
and move the program forward.
- This is rock bottom.
And this puts even
more pressure and onus
and I guess even opportunity,
if you look at it,
this summer when it comes
to the Gold Cup.
- The 2025 Gold Cup
was a chance
for Mauricio Pochettino
to send a message,
to regain the confidence
around the team,
to reassert himself
as the leader of this group,
and to say,
"Follow me for a chance
to do something
at the World Cup next summer."
[dramatic music]
♪
- Mr. McGlynn. What's up, Jack?
All right, here we go.
- Today, Mauricio Pochettino
effectively named
the Gold Cup roster.
[indistinct chatter]
That includes 16 MLS players:
Diego Luna,
Sebastian Berhalter,
Brian White among them.
But let's be honest--
the bigger story is
who is not on there.
- Weston McKennie,
Tim Weah, Gio Reyna not here.
They're playing
in the Club World Cup.
The clubs get priority per FIFA
and the Club World Cup.
They can't be here.
Antonee Robinson,
out with an injury--
had surgery.
He's not here.
I mean, you're talking
about numerous guys
who play a big part
in this team.
Balogun, late withdrawal
with an injury,
another person that Pochettino
wanted to get to know.
And then Yunus Musah
and Christian Pulisic
wanted to take the summer off
to rest, to recover.
♪
- I've been doing this
professionally for 10 years,
and there have been
times where I--
where I ask myself,
why do you keep doing this?
[tense music]
And trying to find
my own purpose.
♪
I struggle with that at times.
The number one thing
that's pushed me through that
is absolutely my faith in God.
It's pointed me to go
back to that kid
watching those games
with my dad.
One of the reasons why I push
so hard is for that kid.
♪
But for the last
three, four months,
I've been dealing with
certain injuries on and off.
It was my hip,
it was my ankle,
and I was really struggling
and just saying,
I'll push through the season,
push through the season.
If it were just up to me,
I would have been
at this tournament.
I didn't even think about it.
I would have just
grinded it out.
- Come on, guys. Come on.
- But my team around me,
they all said, like,
"Look, 2026 could be
the biggest moment
"of your career
in the World Cup--
let's be a little bit
smart here."
♪
Take a little bit of time off,
a little bit of rest.
And I thought about it a lot,
because I truly--
I love this team.
I want to be there
with them always.
I made this decision
for myself,
but at the end of the day,
for the best of my team.
I know for a fact
this is the right decision,
physically and mentally.
And I'm feeling
so ready and hungry
to get into the next season.
And obviously, you know,
plenty of people won't
see it that way.
- When it comes
to Christian Pulisic,
here's--here's
the problem I have.
I cannot relate to someone
in his position
who is a national team player
not wanting
to represent your team.
- I don't understand it
because that wasn't
my mentality.
- The standard
for Christian Pulisic
has to be different.
- The problem I have
with Christian
- This team that
I've labeled soft
- Frustrated that Christian
Pulisic is not a part of
- With this coach
who has no idea
who his players are
at the moment.
- This is a bad look
for Christian Pulisic.
- And now his best player
and team captain
is saying he wants
the summer off?
- A selfish decision.
- I think it's a priority
in this
- Unlikable to a lot of fans.
- This is what entitlement
looks like.
- When his country needs him
- If I'm Christian Pulisic
- Pulisic
- Christian Pulisic
- Christian Pulisic
- Christian Pulisic.
- You say no.
- The reaction to Christian
skipping the tournament,
of course, was gonna
bring noise.
But the back and forth
with the former players
is where things started to get
a little bit out of control.
- This summer,
I've fully deleted
every single social app
off my phone,
because I started
to see things.
And I do my best to avoid them.
I don't go out
and look for them.
But we're humans.
We see things.
It's so easy nowadays online.
And I'm a pretty calm guy.
I don't let things get to me.
It got to me.
It got to me
at a certain point,
and I'm pissed off about it.
Threw my phone
across the room.
There's a hole in my drywall.
I lost my mind for a second.
[tense music]
- There's this disconnect
that exists
between the alumni,
who felt like
they had to prove everything,
that they never got
any respect from anybody,
and this group.
♪
That disconnect,
it's spilling out
into the public.
- Yeah, the time that
I played in, it was bad.
It wasn't even close
to the resources
and the opportunity,
and let's be honest,
the protection.
- All players play injured.
I couldn't tell you
the last time I was healthy.
All players played injured.
- National team is not
a priority for them.
- Right, right.
- What the hell are you doing?
- It feels like they forget
what it was like.
We have to be media trained,
and we're told
not to dive into things.
[overlapping speech]
But they can.
And then it's
a lopsided point of view
that can affect
a lot of people's opinions.
- When these former players
criticized the performances
and things like that,
no problem
if that's your job,
you want to do that.
But when it starts talking
about commitment,
I think you're just
kind of looking for clicks
or looking for headlines
for whatever reason,
and it hurts the players
in a lot of ways.
It sucks,
because a lot of times,
these are guys that we respect,
we looked up to.
♪
It's disappointing for us.
- What solves that?
I don't know.
But at the same time, it's--
you know,
I think it's natural too.
It's--it's what we all do,
you know?
"Oh, I don't understand
Gen-Zers.
It's 'cause I'm old."
You know, the bottom line is,
they will earn their respect
on the field.
♪
- I don't have
any inside info on this.
I can imagine that,
over the last few months,
Christian and Yunus were
sitting,
talking in the locker room,
and Christian saying,
"You know,
I'm just thinking about
"maybe not going
to the Gold Cup,
'cause I am tired."
And Yunus, a 22-year-old
impressionable young man,
could also be saying,
"Shoot, I'm tired."
[crowd chanting]
[cheers and applause]
- [speaking Spanish]
- Got the Gold Cup
roster email.
I was pumped.
I've worked so hard for it,
and the whole goal was
to be ready for anything
that's thrown my way.
And my mindset was like,
if I'm not ready for it now,
I'm just never gonna be
ready for it.
So let's find out.
- Gold Cup's
a massive opportunity.
It's a full month
where you're traveling,
training, recovering,
competing every single day.
That time that you're
with that team, that matters.
That's time
in front of the staff.
It's time with your teammates
on and off the field.
That is where you'll
develop this chemistry
that carries you into the big
tournaments like the World Cup.
So many guys get
into that rhythm,
they get in that flow.
And so it should be
no different
for this group of players,
especially
with the state of the team
right now.
- Only worries and concerns
for this team
going into this tournament
right now, I mean,
right now,
things are as pessimistic
and as negative
around this group
as it has been in a long time.
[tense music]
The story of this team
since I've been covering them
day in, day out since 2019,
has been a story
of optimism, excitement.
A home World Cup is syncing up
with the golden generation,
the best team in the history
of the U.S. men's
national team.
And that carried
all the way through
to the World Cup in Qatar.
Since then, the narrative
around this team has shifted.
There's fear. There's concern.
♪
Pochettino arrived
as a savior.
Well, guess what.
The problems are a little bit
deeper than just a coach.
♪
[indistinct chatter]
- Come one, choose Tyler.
- Good one.
- Good. Not too close.
Not too close.
- Where do we stand right now?
It's a big question mark.
Is this going to work?
Is this meshing?
Can this guy figure it out?
Is this team going to deliver
on the promise
to lift the game
and take advantage
of this moment,
this World Cup
that's supposed to throw fuel
onto the fire of the growing
popularity of the sport?
♪
Or is it going to simmer out?
This tournament needs
to start to answer
some of those questions.
♪
- Get my face
off the ground ♪
Watch me step better ♪
This is a setup,
this is a setup ♪
Yeah, this a setup ♪
From the dirt
on the ground ♪
Watch me go
and get up, yeah ♪
Had to get up,
had to get up ♪
Had to go and get up ♪
Face in the wind,
pacing to win ♪
Caged in again ♪
Ain't chasing no friends ♪
Ain't nothing
other than me ♪
And my brother now ♪
Nothing other than me ♪
And my brother now ♪
Nothing other than me ♪
And my brother now ♪
Nothing other than,
nothing other than ♪
♪
We got it ♪
'Cause you know
we really 'bout it ♪
- I just said the same thing.
- Right?
- With these guys?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- I mean, the energy.
- That's validating
for my body right now.
- Really?
With the--with the trainings
or the games?
- Yeah.
Y'all's days at this camp
are unbelievable.
- Like, 15-hour shifts.
[upbeat music]
♪
- Yeah, we're about to do
an interview right now.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah!
- No, no, no.
- Yes, that's the shit
right there.
- There's a lot of key guys
that are not here.
What opportunity
does that create?
- Any time, you know, when you
look at the national team,
you have to think
about the entire pool.
- A lot of young kids getting
their first real opportunity
with the national team.
- Key players missing,
but it's another chance
for more players to step up.
[tense music]
- Just kind of pull
your jersey down in the front
so we see the 10.
Yeah, there you go, perfect.
That's fine.
What do you want people to see?
[dramatic music]
♪
- I want people
to--to feel excited
when they see me on the pitch.
- Luna!
- I'm going to give 100%,
whether it's for club,
whether it's for country.
♪
Right here, right here.
♪
I didn't come from much.
My parents worked extremely
hard to give us what we had.
For me, it was just always
working for what I wanted
and working to provide
for me or for my family.
Dude, I'm not even kidding you.
Dude.
Aah.
I come from
a Mexican background
with two older brothers
and an older sister.
Being the youngest, right,
out of the--out of the crew,
you know,
they always pushed me.
There was always a little bit
of pressure to make it.
Wearing the crest and having
your name on the back,
there's no bigger privilege
in the soccer world
than to play
for your national team.
It's the number one thing
that I dreamt of as a kid.
♪
- A really nice victory
for a MLS-based U.S. squad.
This all started
with the play of Diego Luna.
- Yeah, the wayward elbow
comes up, catches Diego Luna.
- I knew I broke my nose--
head over to the sideline.
Coach was talking
about taking me off.
I was like,
that's not happening.
You work your butt off
to be in a position like that.
I could still run.
I could still see.
So I was like,
it's not gonna be
taken away from me today.
It might have been one of
the best decisions of my life.
- Luna, who has space
to carry the ball forward.
Movement ahead of him
as Luna slides it through.
It's Brian White,
and he scores!
[cheers and applause]
- Mauricio, before we
let you go, I have to ask you.
When Diego Luna
came over to you,
what did he say to you about
wanting to stay in the game?
What did you say to him?
[laughter]
Yeah.
- It was after surgery--
I'm still on the meds
and stuff--
and I saw this video
where he said,
you know,
"Showed big balls," right?
But for me,
it was just, you know,
me playing and me being me.
♪
- I think Diego's a badass.
When you see him on the field,
I mean,
you see those fucking tattoos
everywhere, and--
but then off the field,
he's the nicest guy ever.
He doesn't care
who we're playing.
He's gonna go out there
and play his game.
- Things that we do
on the field
should always be the same
off the field--
the work ethic,
the motivation you have.
It's always gonna lead you
to better things.
It's exactly how I want my son
to see me, see the effort
and the motivation
and the grit that I had
and have him be more than me.
[soft music]
♪
- This group needs
to be pushed.
Players who were a big part
of this team in 2022 in Qatar
know that they are
a big part of this team.
And that's a good thing
in some ways,
but it can also be
a negative within a group.
You want people looking over
their shoulders constantly.
Can you make it so that
somebody like Weston McKennie
is saying, "Well,
he could pick Diego Luna
"in the starting lineup
for a different look
this time around"?
At this time,
after what happened
at the Nations League,
they have to have a good
performance in the group stage
against these teams--
Trinidad and Tobago,
Saudi Arabia, and Haiti.
Three teams that
they should beat.
- The lineups came out.
Let's keep it real here.
Matt Freese, he's getting
the start in goal,
the trust from Pochettino.
- You're going with
a guy that has
some more games
under his belt recently.
He's probably
a little bit sharper.
The question is, does he give
him the entire tournament?
- And we are underway
in Group D
in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
It's the United States
against Trinidad and Tobago.
Pressure here getting
to Trinidad and Tobago.
Slotted through.
Jack McGlynn cuts it back.
Still McGlynn
to the back post.
Settled, Tillman scores!
The opening goal belongs
to Malik Tillman.
Diego Luna with some options.
Luna centering,
Tillman doubling his tally.
Luna cutting in.
Luna going.
Goal deflected and in.
Sometimes things go your way.
Brenden Aaronson.
Aaronson going for goal
and scoring.
♪
Haji Wright, far post.
5, the United States.
[crowd chanting]
Step two
of the Gold Cup journey
brings us deep
in the heart of Texas.
And a much sterner test
tonight awaiting
the men of the United States
here in Austin.
Berhalter stands
over the free kick.
Tillman runs away.
Berhalter hooking it in.
It's Richards, it's a goal!
And the U.S. does use
the set piece,
and the U.S. finally breaks
through against Saudi Arabia.
♪
Here in Arlington, Texas,
it's the United States
against Haiti.
♪
Brenden Aaronson
cuts it along.
Tillman's there.
Malik Tillman.
♪
Oh, boy.
Given away by Matt Freese
and a mishit ball.
It's in the back of the net.
- U.S. 1-0.
It's level here in Dallas.
- Agyemang again.
Pierre all the way up.
Patrick Agyemang, it's in.
The U.S. is back in front!
♪
The U.S.,
a perfect group stage.
They've won all three games.
And now
the business end starts.
On to the knockout round
for the U.S.
at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
[soft music]
♪
- I got the hot mic.
I think there's four people
mic'd up today,
and they're all goalies.
- If I'm Matt Turner,
I am beside myself
that I am not the starting
goalkeeper in this competition.
- That is the problem.
You don't have
a starting goalkeeper.
- Well, you do have
a starting goalkeeper.
I don't buy that
for one second,
because Matt Turner--
- Who's the starting
goalkeeper?
- Matt Turner.
- Matt Turner?
- Yeah.
- Good to go?
- Good to go.
- All right, let's do it, boys.
- Jog?
- Yeah, like a light jogging.
- Since Matt Turner was named
the starter of the U.S. team
leading into the 2022
World Cup,
there really hasn't
been a controversy
about who the starting
goalkeeper is.
That's no longer the case.
This Gold Cup could be
an enormous opportunity
for Matt Freese to take
that starting job away
from the incumbent
World Cup goalkeeper.
- Nice, Matt. Get rid of it.
Nice, Matthew.
- To create a player pool
that's full of people
who are willing to do
whatever it's gonna take
to get that next call up,
to get that next, you know,
opportunity in a game,
I think that's
what Mauricio has been
trying to instill and create,
an atmosphere
where everyone's hungry.
- Good choice, Matt.
- As a goalkeeper, like,
the most important thing
is, like, that rhythm
of playing games.
And your timing is different.
And you feel the pitch
a little bit better,
and you build confidence.
Not having had that
at Crystal Palace
in the better part
of three seasons now,
it's been really, really tough.
You need to be
in a situation where
you're playing enough
in order for that feeling
to carry over
into the national team games.
I don't have that right now.
It feels like every single time
I'm stepping on the pitch,
it's like it's a do-or-die.
I got to do well or else.
Catch the fucking ball.
- Keeper!
- Because of my club
situation
- Good hands, Matt.
- Over the last
18, 24 months,
it's been really challenging
for me to find
that consistency again.
Obviously, I want to play,
you know, because
when I'm playing my best,
I know I am the best.
- Oh, no.
- Goalkeeping sucks,
but I love it.
I fucking love it.
- Matt and I,
we have a great relationship,
very competitive.
I don't think either of us
would want it any other way.
- Patience. Three men inside!
Three men inside.
- Feet, feet, feet--no feet.
- Left shoulder, Timmy.
Left shoulder.
- Tempo, tempo.
- Stay open.
Stay open.
Hold the line.
- Come on. Touch and play.
Touch and play. Touch and play.
Check your shoulders.
- Wait, come down.
- Check your fucking shoulders.
- Whole line up, up, up.
♪
- Fuck's sake, man.
- You are going to shoot
one penalty each.
- Yes.
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, in his head.
- I knew it. Ooh!
- Good save, Mattie.
- Oh, my fucking days, man.
- Fucking hell, Luca.
- Yeah, Luca!
♪
- Oh, love it, Nate Dogg.
- [laughs]
- Me first.
[suspenseful music]
- Nope, nope.
♪
- No!
[whistle blasts]
- Did you read it
or did you react?
- I waited.
- Oh, smart.
- Yeah. [grunts]
- I got to get over
what just happened.
I got to use it.
I got to use it as fuel.
Freezy, three crossbars.
Three--three fucking crossbars.
Freezy wins the shootout.
It's insane.
- I want to--I want
to hop in here.
- When it's not happening
for you, it's not happening.
But you got to make it happen.
You got to speak it.
- Yeah, they haven't said
who's starting on Sunday yet.
I thought we were
gonna get the shout,
to be honest,
before this training session.
I felt like some little quotes
throughout the week
have, like, insinuated that
I could potentially play,
but they haven't said anything.
Everything I've ever done
in my career
is to advance my place
with the national team.
I've been addicted to it.
I've literally sacrificed
all my free time,
all my vacation time.
I do everything I can
to always wear this shirt.
- You are happy?
- Hey!
- It's because we're mic'd up.
It's because the microphone.
- [laughs]
- I don't really care
about anybody else,
but just proving
to myself again
all the sacrifices
that I've ever made
to wear this crest
are worth it.
[tense music]
- With this group,
it's about building confidence
and belief that
you deserve to be here.
And I think that's been
a huge part of this Gold Cup.
The group stage really helped
kind of build up confidence
in everything
that they were doing.
And then the first knockout
game against Costa Rica,
well, now this is when
it really starts to--to matter.
- It is win or go home
on a beautiful day
in Minneapolis.
♪
The CONCACAF Gold Cup
quarterfinals
between the United States
and Costa Rica.
- Matt Freese keeping
his place in goal
after three wins
in the group stage.
- The United States
trying to do
what every U.S. team
has been able to do
for a quarter century,
and that is find a way
to advance to the next round.
But a big challenge coming
from Costa Rica.
♪
Now we're underway.
It is the United States
wearing blue.
It is the Ticos
of Costa Rica in white.
And the United States,
after a blowout win
against Trinidad and Tobago,
did what they had to do.
Looking to reset.
A slip from Luna.
Mora picks it up now,
Arfsten backing off.
Able to block the cross.
And an awkward challenge,
as Arfsten goes in.
It's a penalty for Costa Rica.
- Kicks straight
into the leg of Vargas.
Absolutely a penalty.
[tense music]
♪
- Matt Freese between him
and an early lead
for Costa Rica here
in Minneapolis.
♪
And it's in.
Freese got a hand to it,
but he couldn't keep it out.
♪
And Costa Rica have
the early lead.
Half an hour played
in the home of the Vikings
in Minneapolis,
and the early penalty goal
for Francisco Calvo is
the difference.
Tillman from Agyemang
to the byline.
Cutting it in front.
It's gonna find Alex Freeman.
♪
- Tillman is still down
inside the box.
And he was signaling
to the bench
the signal for VAR.
And I wonder
if he feels he took
a really hard and late tackle
after he crossed that ball
into the box.
[whistle blasts]
- Penalty.
[crowd cheering]
[suspenseful music]
♪
On the outside of the post!
Arfsten first to pick it up.
Arfsten fires, saved by Navas.
And it's gonna spin in behind
for a corner.
♪
- It's definitely hard.
I mean, all the pressure
is on the shooter.
You're just expected to score.
♪
- So here we go.
Now it's--
- Scrambling up here.
♪
- I think that will be
the message.
The U.S. are finding good ways
to create goalscoring
opportunities.
- Still from Tillman.
Arfsten for Luna.
Diego Luna, deflected goal!
Diego Luna,
first international goal!
[cheers and applause]
- Malik Tillman gets away.
Malik Tillman hands it off.
Here's Max Arfsten,
and he scores!
Arfsten, his first career
international goal.
Two for company,
and he splits them open.
Fires, Freese saves!
Rebound, still alive.
And Costa Rica tied it
with 20 minutes to play
in Minneapolis.
Luna charging in,
Agyemang, Tillman!
He might have just taken
a coat of paint
off the crossbar
right through.
- Mauricio Pochettino,
tell us--
I want to see how these guys
handle the stress.
How do they perform
under pressure?
- Here we go.
Freeman had it blocked.
Martínez,
off the outside of the post,
and the rebound is
cleared away.
And we are gonna go
to a penalty shootout
here in Minneapolis.
Each team
[muffled speech
continues on TV]
[crowd cheering on TV]
[tense music]
♪
So right down the middle
for Martínez.
Tyler Adams might not be
wearing the armband
at this tournament,
but he's still very much
a captain of this
national team.
The 26-year-old
from Wappingers Falls is
taking in a penalty shootout
for the first time
in his career.
♪
Saved.
- A terrific save
from Matt Freese.
- And now here comes
Malik Tillman,
who had a penalty kick.
He put it off the post.
Does he have
the same confidence?
Now he fires it!
♪
Saved!
[cheers and applause]
John Tolkin can win
the shootout with this kick.
♪
As we enter
sudden death rounds.
♪
Saved!
- He's feeling it.
That's a goalie
in the zone right now.
Here's your moment,
and he is seizing it
in the shootout.
And it's gonna be
an opportunity
for Damion Downs
to punch the ticket
to the semifinal for the U.S.
♪
- [exhales deeply]
♪
[crowd cheering]
[soft music]
♪
- Let's go, man.
- Respect to those guys
for stepping up,
especially Malik after missing
and going on to take that one.
It's a lot of balls.
[pensive music]
- Yeah, it was
a tough game today.
Obviously, I also take
some responsibilities.
Yeah, should have
scored the pen,
but even happier that we have
Matt Freese in the team.
He did amazing.
And now it's about focusing
on the semis.
♪
- All right, we'll start with
Sebastian Berhalter here.
- To be in this position,
like, I just look down
at the crest every day like,
wow.
Like, I'm actually wearing
this--this crest right now.
It's--it's a dream come true.
And you know,
now I want to go and win
a trophy for my country.
It's something that's been
in me my whole life.
I've been to three
World Cups now,
first with my dad as a player
and then obviously as a coach.
♪
When my dad was a coach, I--
of course, I wanted
to be on the team.
And you know,
he told me for real
that I'm not good enough.
And that's real.
He's like, look,
you're not even starting
for your club team
in Vancouver.
He's like, you have no chance,
you know,
and that's something that,
it hurt to hear,
but I knew he--
you know, he gets it.
He understands.
I have to get better.
And this is a journey,
and if I want to be
on this team in four years,
like, I've got
a lot of work to do.
- Berhalter on the first time!
And what a wonderful
strike that is
from Sebastian Berhalter.
♪
- Getting called up
to the national team,
I knew that I had a chance,
and I knew if I had worked
as hard as I could
and if I kept doing the things
I've been doing,
that I would be there.
[soft music]
Calling my dad, you know,
after finding out
and just telling him,
hey, man, like,
I made the team, and he's like,
"All right, man,
like, that's amazing.
Congrats."
You know, such--just like,
nothing crazy,
nothing over the top.
Just like, "Hey, buddy,
congrats," you know.
And I was just like,
thanks, man.
Appreciate it.
He's been, you know,
everything to me.
He's been a role model.
He's been Dad.
He's been best friend.
He's been, you know, Coach.
I'm so lucky to have someone
like him in my life.
It's crazy to think
that, you know,
I'm following in his footsteps
once again
and becoming a player
for this country.
And yeah, I just want
to make him proud.
Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Thank you. Appreciate it.
- Thank you.
Get the microphone off of you.
- It's always nice
coming back here.
It's always nice to--to play
in your hometown.
I think it's something
that, as a kid,
you always dream of,
never knowing that
you're gonna get
that opportunity.
And to be able to do it
representing your country,
representing your town,
your family, your friends,
it's always special.
- What kind of music?
- Please,
no "Hamilton" soundtrack.
Bro--Tim,
did I tell you about that?
From Wimbledon to Beckenham,
this dude's like,
"Bro, let me show you
a song really quick."
It was the whole
"Hamilton" soundtrack, bro.
- I so badly want to put
one "Hamilton" song on,
but I'm not going to.
[laughter]
They're good, bro.
They're fine.
Like, they--
- Who?
- Guatemala.
- Oh, yeah, bro.
- They did well
last Gold Cup as well.
- Bro!
- This is the biggest game
of these guys' lives.
- Yeah.
- We have to play it
like it's ours as well.
- That's true.
- If we don't,
we'll be in trouble.
- Hell yeah.
- There it is.
- Hell yeah!
- I need the Miss Vickie's
kettle chips,
and I need maybe a tall--
maybe a cream soda
or something, bro,
or a Coke in a glass bottle.
- Ooh!
- My wife's aunt and uncle
owned this little
mom-and-pop shop here.
The boys were asking
about sandwiches, and I said,
well, the best place I know
is Le Grand's.
So that's where we are.
- Are these the ones to get?
- The Red Hot--Red Hot Riplets.
They're red hot.
- Oh, they're hot?
- How hot we talking?
- Hot-hot.
- This is red hot.
- I like hot-hot.
- Like on a scale
of scotch bonnet
- Wait, what's
- Oh.
- Those are red hot.
- How hot we talking?
- Hot, hot. 10.
- OK, all right.
All right, all right,
so it's hot.
- Those are the best.
- Cool.
- St. Louis.
- St. Louis special.
- Period.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Have a good one.
- You too!
- Thank you.
- I have to get this one.
- Uh, can I get the Alberto?
- Good choice.
- Tim, this you?
- Oh, shit, Mark.
[laughter]
Wrong picture, bro.
- My fault. It's this one.
- Amen, amen.
Man, I can't get my little
finger tape dirty.
- Mmm.
- Mmm.
Muy bien.
- I can't lie.
This reminds me of, like,
how I grew up.
- This is one of the things
that, like,
being in England,
I missed so much.
- Yeah.
- Dude, you can't--
- Because you can't--
they don't do sandwiches
the way they do here.
Hi.
[soft music]
- Don't be--
- No, go say hi to him.
- Can you sign?
- Of course.
♪
Do you want
everybody to sign it?
Do you want all my friends
to sign it?
- Really tight.
Hold it really tight,
'cause I'm gonna pull it.
There you go.
♪
- Pull it as tight as possible.
Gotcha.
- Yes.
- Hey.
♪
- How you doing?
Sign your shirt?
All right.
- Thank you.
- Well, that was
a impromptu session.
- Yeah.
- It's neat when you, like--
you have the support in cities
where it just, like--
it comes out of nowhere.
It's nice.
It just shows
the level of support,
especially here in St. Louis,
is always really good.
♪
It gives you an idea
that tomorrow night,
the support's gonna be there,
the crowd's gonna be lively.
And you know, for us,
it's put on a performance
and a show for them.
[crowd chanting]
[ominous music]
♪
- Guatemala is
in the semifinals
of a Gold Cup
for the first time since 1996.
I would not be surprised
if we see a crowd tonight
that is mostly Guatemaltecos,
because they've been waiting
a whole generation
to have a moment like this.
♪
You're going to see a very
confident Guatemala team.
This game will mean
everything to Guatemala.
So if it means less than
everything for the U.S.,
it's gonna be trouble.
The U.S. has to be able
to match the energy,
the emotion,
the want of Guatemala tonight
if they're gonna get a result.
♪
- I had a nice speech
for all of you tonight.
Then I stepped out there.
Simple.
We embrace this,
and we fucking own it.
Let's fucking go tonight.
USA on three. One, two, three.
all: USA!
- Unchanged lineup
for Mauricio Pochettino
and the United States.
Matt Freese, as expected,
keeping his place
after that heroic performance
against Costa Rica.
- It is hot.
It is loud here in St. Louis.
And it's about
90% Guatemalan fans.
And we are underway.
The men of the United States
in the dark blue.
And now they're trying to do
what U.S. teams of the past
have done more than any other
nation in Gold Cup history,
and that's win a semifinal.
Trying to settle
the bouncing ball.
Cuts it back in.
Tillman, the feint,
turns it inside.
Rebound, Luna!
[suspenseful music]
Diego Luna,
goals in back-to-back games
and a perfect early start
for the United States!
Meanwhile, Guatemala
kicked off quickly.
It's been an extremely
physical sequence of tackles
going back and forth.
♪
Here's Diego Luna now.
Luna, great dance.
Luna!
[cheers and applause]
- This is just spectacular
from Diego Luna.
It's a man of the moment.
He's feeling it.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Herrera for Rubin to chase.
Freese is backing off,
and Rubin forces the save.
First of the game
out of Matt Freese.
- He hesitated.
And Tim Ream's saying,
"Look, you got to come there."
Made a great save
at the near post, didn't he?
Pochettino hands on his head.
- Santis.
Out-swinging corner.
Free header, saved!
Rebound, scramble!
U.S. tried to clear.
They're gonna get a chance
to clear, and they do.
[whistle blasts]
- Make sure
you're communicating
with Tim on the runs in.
He's coming on his backside.
- No one can make
a fucking decision.
There's a little bit of noise,
and everyone's
fucking scrambling.
We need to fucking relax, bro.
- Yeah, I know.
[speaking indistinctly]
- Oh, shit.
- Alex Freeman has got
options in the box.
Freeman on the deck.
Brenden Aaronson
can't get below.
He's gonna get back
to that first touch.
♪
Freeman, a second chance.
Lifts it in.
Agyemang climbs the ladder
and forces a save
out of Navarro!
Out for a U.S. corner.
Remarkably, first corner
of the game for the U.S.
Guatemala's first Gold Cup
semifinal since 1996.
It's a great move
to cut inside.
Ordóñez, a chance now,
and it's a goal.
It's Escobar.
[crowd cheering]
♪
McGlynn.
Richards, and bound to go,
and ends up right
in the goalkeeper's hands.
♪
One minute gone of the four.
Tillman flying through.
Aaronson flying through.
Herrera gets away.
Santis now.
Chance to cross.
Comes top of the box.
It's Morales!
♪
And that is it!
And the U.S. is
headed to Houston
for the Gold Cup final.
[crowd cheering]
[cheers and applause]
[soft music]
♪
- It is the United States
awaiting the winner
of this one here tonight.
Mexico hoping to keep
the ball, kill off this game.
[whistle blasts]
Referee trying to keep
this game under control,
and it's about to spiral
out of control, and now the
And that's it!
For the eighth time,
it will be
a United States-Mexico
Gold Cup final.
- Who do you want?
No one else but Mexico.
Let's go.
Let's get it.
- Sunday in Houston,
it will be
the U.S. against Mexico.
Eighth Gold Cup final
between the two.
Mexico has won
five of the seven,
but the U.S. won
the last one in 2021.
It's gonna be fun.
- It's going to be fun.
- USA-Mexico doesn't really
need an introduction.
Look at the last times
these teams have played
in competitive CONCACAF games--
the Nations League in Vegas
and Weston McKennie's
ripped shirt.
You think about before that,
the photo
with Christian Pulisic.
The rivalry side always is
what carries it through.
- And Reyna is really
having some words.
- It's so deep-rooted.
I don't even know
that there are words
that you can use on camera
to be able to describe this.
- I think it's the greatest
international rivalry,
given the proximity
of the countries,
given the history
that we have,
given the competitive nature
of this that is now
going back decades.
- USA!
- There is a period of time
where it was dominated
by Mexico.
Then there was a long
period of time
in the modern football era
that it was dominated
by the U.S.
- There is this pendulum
that goes back and forth.
Don't think for a second
that this can't change.
♪
- You know, both of these
national team programs
are still trying
to figure out who they are
ahead of a really important
home World Cup.
Both of them have
immense pressure on them.
Obviously,
it's kind of the dream final,
U.S.-Mexico in Houston.
Everything on the line,
and let's see
if you can go punch for punch
with your biggest rival.
Come on, come on, leap fast.
Leap fast, leap fast.
Come on, come on,
come on, come on.
[applause]
- Yeah, this is gonna be
pretty similar
to what we're gonna try to do
next summer as well.
I think it was a good teaser,
you know?
It has been a lot, though.
[dramatic music]
Got to nine different cities.
♪
It's been tough--
40 days away from family.
♪
- Uhuh--ooh.
Mm, yummy.
[baby crying]
Oh, no.
[baby crying]
OK, OK, OK.
Ah, ah, ah.
[soft music]
Luna, can you say hi?
It's been beautiful
to raise a daughter.
Seeing her grow every day
and grow a little personality
and, you know, all these
little milestones, and
being a girl dad is pretty fun.
♪
It's cool to give, you know,
my daughter these experiences.
Like I said,
growing up in London,
this game is
what feeds your family.
♪
I had this ambition
from young that
it's something I wanted to do,
but it was something
that I never felt like
was actually doable.
♪
I grew up
in Birmingham, Alabama,
high school football central.
♪
Kind of just felt
like an outsider,
playing soccer my whole life.
♪
On top of that,
my mom's white,
my dad's Black.
I knew my identity.
I knew I was a mixed kid,
but society saw me
as a Black man.
I played basketball,
and I played soccer.
♪
Back home, there was no
Black kids playing soccer.
So I kind of felt too Black
for my soccer friends
and felt too white
for my basketball friends.
I'm a mixed kid
playing both sports.
I already kind of feel
like the odd man out
on both sides of the spectrum.
I just kind of embraced it.
When I finally made a decision
to only stick with soccer,
it was an easy one for me,
because I was already
on my own pathway
when it came
to everything else in life.
I went to FC Dallas
and signed a homegrown deal.
Three months later,
I was off to Bayern Munich
out of nowhere.
I went from slugging it out
in Birmingham, Alabama,
at 16 years old
to signing with
one of the biggest clubs
in the world,
all within two years.
- Chris Richards is
a little nervous
on his first full start
for Bayern.
Richards slots it
back through.
Lewandowski turns
and finds the target!
Chris Richards gets
that assist.
- After four full years
in Germany,
I ended up making my way
to Crystal Palace.
[crowd chanting]
Wembley again!
Wembley again, ole, ole!
[dramatic music]
- Coming here to London,
it was like, OK.
Like, this is--
like, this is dope, you know.
- Pandemonium at the Palace!
- They love soccer.
Because it was so easy
to be myself,
it was just a perfect match
for me, a perfect fit.
♪
Oh, my goodness.
Good morning.
Oh, good morning.
London definitely
helped form me
into the man I am today.
I came here with
a lot of ambition
and, you know, straight away,
it was kind of shot down
with missing the World Cup.
[tense music]
♪
I'll never forget, you know,
I picked up an injury,
tore my quad--
like, complete tear.
It's three weeks away
from the World Cup.
I knew straight away
that it was done.
For me, the lowest point
in my career,
because I was this close
to living out
my childhood dream.
And it was the first,
you know,
real professional setback
that I had,
and I felt like
the world had crumbled.
- Missing the World Cup
set him back mentally.
It took some time for him
to regain his confidence.
♪
- I had to realize
that life goes on.
It's about
showing the world that
nothing can knock you down.
♪
- Opening kickoff
in Las Vegas between
the United States and Canada
for the CONCACAF
Nations League final.
Gio Reyna.
It's Richards!
18 months between caps!
His first international goal.
[dramatic music]
- Well, it's an honor
and a privilege
to wear the shirt--
let's go out there
and act like it.
Get stuck in, and let's
fucking take our chances.
Let's win.
U.S. on three. One, two, three.
all: USA!
♪
- You know, we're playing
on home soil in the World Cup.
For me, this has always
meant everything to me,
and I want it
to mean everything
to everybody at home.
We want to see every stadium
70,000 full
of red, white, and blue.
♪
This has been
our life's journey
to get to be able to play
for the national team,
and so we want you all
to also feel that from us.
♪
We have a big game on Sunday,
and I think there's no better
reward than beating Mexico,
especially in the final.
- Playing Mexico, as a kid,
these are the games
you dream of playing,
you know,
in front of a great crowd
and for your country.
It doesn't get much better.
I want to come home with
a trophy, as simple as that.
There's nothing more to it.
[suspenseful music]
- It's gonna be, again,
another hostile environment
against a really good
Mexico side.
♪
- Who's the favorite,
U.S. or Mexico?
- Well, Rob Stone,
I've been told,
since this tournament started
and before,
that this is a group
of B and C players
from the U.S. team.
This is Mexico's full team.
♪
It would be incredibly
embarrassing
for the Mexican
national team--
no, hey, for Mexico as
a country to lose this game,
this final in Houston
♪
- I think it seems way bigger
than just a final.
And I don't know
if that's because
the World Cup is so close,
but this is the last time
they're gonna get
tournament experience.
You're fighting not just
to win a final--
roster spots coming up
and making your last impact.
[whooshing]
- [singing in Spanish]
["Himno Nacional Mexicano"
playing]
♪
[whistle blasts]
[tense music]
[crowd cheering]
♪
- What a month it has been
for the United States.
A team very unexpectedly
put together
that came into camp
five weeks ago,
and they've been able to get
the job done over and over
and reach now
the final once again.
Agyemang chopped down,
and the U.S. will take
the free kick.
♪
Sebastian Berhalter,
the 24-year-old son
of former U.S. coach
and former U.S. player
Gregg Berhalter.
♪
Berhalter will hook that in,
looking for Chris Richards!
It's off the underside
of the bar!
The flag comes up!
The goal is given
on the field!
It's Chris Richards
from Sebastian Berhalter
less than four minutes in!
[crowd cheering]
[triumphant music]
♪
[suspenseful music]
♪
- A really nice build-up
and patient from Mexico.
Mexico have been working
down that right side.
They switch
the point of attack.
U.S. a little slow
to rotate over.
- Ruíz gets it through
and finds Jiménez,
and he scores!
Raúl Jiménez roofs it,
and Mexico ties the game!
[crowd cheering]
♪
- This is more than
just a Gold Cup final.
These are two teams that will
be playing in the World Cup
340 days from now.
How will they respond?
♪
- Yes, there were
big names missing.
Yes, things had gone poorly
at the Nations League.
In some ways,
that maybe played even more
into Pochettino's hand.
He was bringing young players,
new players,
players with something to prove
into the group.
And he was saying,
"If you trust me,
"if you do things my way,
"it doesn't matter where
you play or what your name is.
We're going to win."
And that was going to set
the direction of this program
back towards one
that could challenge in 2026.
♪
[tense music]
♪
[bright tone]
[bright tone]
[tense music]
♪
- As Americans,
we think we know
what passion around sports is.
But look around the world
and what it looks like
around soccer.
♪
We have no idea
what passion is.
[crowd cheering, chanting]
[lively music]
♪
- In the States, you know,
a sports game is usually
just an outing
for--for our families
to go and enjoy
and have a nice day.
[crowd roaring]
Around the world,
people don't go to games
for the fan experience.
It's about the colors.
It's about other players
that you have.
It's about the love
for the badge.
- They want to see
the players on the field
bleed, sweat, and cry
and run and tackle
as hard as they can.
- It's an identity.
It's the way
people live their lives.
- It's a religion.
[crowd cheering, chanting]
- In most countries
around the world,
the national team is viewed
as the be-all and end-all.
♪
- It is everything to them.
And that's not easy
to replicate.
[crowds roaring]
♪
[fireworks popping]
- It's a profound
responsibility that we have,
as--as players
wearing our crest,
to continue to grow the game
and bridge that gap between
the supporters and the players.
[rumbling]
[intense music]
- We're going for it ♪
We're going for it ♪
Jumping off the block,
baby, I was born for it ♪
No need to tally up,
we keep on scoring, scoring ♪
I already been
in that mode ♪
♪
Yeah, I'm just
pushing through it ♪
All eyes on me and they
hate to see me do it ♪
I can't describe
the feeling ♪
That's flowing
all through my veins ♪
When this is
your only choice is ♪
Just to say
my name in vain ♪
You cannot tell me you're
feeling the same thing ♪
It's us against the world ♪
It's really us,
yeah, it's really us ♪
Against the world ♪
- If there was something
to be said negative
about this team
coming out of Qatar,
it was that so many places
in this team
felt like they were locked in.
All of a sudden now,
that was not the case.
- Canada take out
the United States.
- The March Nations League
was a disaster,
a reality check.
- When you don't even put in
a good enough performance
to make the fans say,
"You know what?
"At the end of the day,
OK, we lost, we got unlucky,
but the players didn't show
enough fight."
They might be on to something.
- When you have a coach
that comes in, you know,
like Mauricio,
it could then lead
to outsiders saying,
"OK, well if he can't
"get these guys
to play a certain way,
then maybe it is the players.
- With time ticking down
until the 2026 World Cup,
there were real questions
about how this team
could recover
and get things going again.
- How does the squad's
performance
over the past two games affect
how you approach the Gold Cup?
- Of course, we are open.
I think the roster--
we are open to the roster.
We are going to find
a way to perform,
and for sure,
we are going to compete.
Thank you. Thank you.
Gracias, gracias.
- The two friendlies
after Nations League
and before Gold Cup--
the results were not so great.
A loss against Turkey,
then get smoked
by Switzerland.
And yeah, our back's
against the wall,
like, coming into Gold Cup.
- Going into Gold Cup,
it was an opportunity
for all of us
to showcase who we are
and how we can help the team
and move the program forward.
- This is rock bottom.
And this puts even
more pressure and onus
and I guess even opportunity,
if you look at it,
this summer when it comes
to the Gold Cup.
- The 2025 Gold Cup
was a chance
for Mauricio Pochettino
to send a message,
to regain the confidence
around the team,
to reassert himself
as the leader of this group,
and to say,
"Follow me for a chance
to do something
at the World Cup next summer."
[dramatic music]
♪
- Mr. McGlynn. What's up, Jack?
All right, here we go.
- Today, Mauricio Pochettino
effectively named
the Gold Cup roster.
[indistinct chatter]
That includes 16 MLS players:
Diego Luna,
Sebastian Berhalter,
Brian White among them.
But let's be honest--
the bigger story is
who is not on there.
- Weston McKennie,
Tim Weah, Gio Reyna not here.
They're playing
in the Club World Cup.
The clubs get priority per FIFA
and the Club World Cup.
They can't be here.
Antonee Robinson,
out with an injury--
had surgery.
He's not here.
I mean, you're talking
about numerous guys
who play a big part
in this team.
Balogun, late withdrawal
with an injury,
another person that Pochettino
wanted to get to know.
And then Yunus Musah
and Christian Pulisic
wanted to take the summer off
to rest, to recover.
♪
- I've been doing this
professionally for 10 years,
and there have been
times where I--
where I ask myself,
why do you keep doing this?
[tense music]
And trying to find
my own purpose.
♪
I struggle with that at times.
The number one thing
that's pushed me through that
is absolutely my faith in God.
It's pointed me to go
back to that kid
watching those games
with my dad.
One of the reasons why I push
so hard is for that kid.
♪
But for the last
three, four months,
I've been dealing with
certain injuries on and off.
It was my hip,
it was my ankle,
and I was really struggling
and just saying,
I'll push through the season,
push through the season.
If it were just up to me,
I would have been
at this tournament.
I didn't even think about it.
I would have just
grinded it out.
- Come on, guys. Come on.
- But my team around me,
they all said, like,
"Look, 2026 could be
the biggest moment
"of your career
in the World Cup--
let's be a little bit
smart here."
♪
Take a little bit of time off,
a little bit of rest.
And I thought about it a lot,
because I truly--
I love this team.
I want to be there
with them always.
I made this decision
for myself,
but at the end of the day,
for the best of my team.
I know for a fact
this is the right decision,
physically and mentally.
And I'm feeling
so ready and hungry
to get into the next season.
And obviously, you know,
plenty of people won't
see it that way.
- When it comes
to Christian Pulisic,
here's--here's
the problem I have.
I cannot relate to someone
in his position
who is a national team player
not wanting
to represent your team.
- I don't understand it
because that wasn't
my mentality.
- The standard
for Christian Pulisic
has to be different.
- The problem I have
with Christian
- This team that
I've labeled soft
- Frustrated that Christian
Pulisic is not a part of
- With this coach
who has no idea
who his players are
at the moment.
- This is a bad look
for Christian Pulisic.
- And now his best player
and team captain
is saying he wants
the summer off?
- A selfish decision.
- I think it's a priority
in this
- Unlikable to a lot of fans.
- This is what entitlement
looks like.
- When his country needs him
- If I'm Christian Pulisic
- Pulisic
- Christian Pulisic
- Christian Pulisic
- Christian Pulisic.
- You say no.
- The reaction to Christian
skipping the tournament,
of course, was gonna
bring noise.
But the back and forth
with the former players
is where things started to get
a little bit out of control.
- This summer,
I've fully deleted
every single social app
off my phone,
because I started
to see things.
And I do my best to avoid them.
I don't go out
and look for them.
But we're humans.
We see things.
It's so easy nowadays online.
And I'm a pretty calm guy.
I don't let things get to me.
It got to me.
It got to me
at a certain point,
and I'm pissed off about it.
Threw my phone
across the room.
There's a hole in my drywall.
I lost my mind for a second.
[tense music]
- There's this disconnect
that exists
between the alumni,
who felt like
they had to prove everything,
that they never got
any respect from anybody,
and this group.
♪
That disconnect,
it's spilling out
into the public.
- Yeah, the time that
I played in, it was bad.
It wasn't even close
to the resources
and the opportunity,
and let's be honest,
the protection.
- All players play injured.
I couldn't tell you
the last time I was healthy.
All players played injured.
- National team is not
a priority for them.
- Right, right.
- What the hell are you doing?
- It feels like they forget
what it was like.
We have to be media trained,
and we're told
not to dive into things.
[overlapping speech]
But they can.
And then it's
a lopsided point of view
that can affect
a lot of people's opinions.
- When these former players
criticized the performances
and things like that,
no problem
if that's your job,
you want to do that.
But when it starts talking
about commitment,
I think you're just
kind of looking for clicks
or looking for headlines
for whatever reason,
and it hurts the players
in a lot of ways.
It sucks,
because a lot of times,
these are guys that we respect,
we looked up to.
♪
It's disappointing for us.
- What solves that?
I don't know.
But at the same time, it's--
you know,
I think it's natural too.
It's--it's what we all do,
you know?
"Oh, I don't understand
Gen-Zers.
It's 'cause I'm old."
You know, the bottom line is,
they will earn their respect
on the field.
♪
- I don't have
any inside info on this.
I can imagine that,
over the last few months,
Christian and Yunus were
sitting,
talking in the locker room,
and Christian saying,
"You know,
I'm just thinking about
"maybe not going
to the Gold Cup,
'cause I am tired."
And Yunus, a 22-year-old
impressionable young man,
could also be saying,
"Shoot, I'm tired."
[crowd chanting]
[cheers and applause]
- [speaking Spanish]
- Got the Gold Cup
roster email.
I was pumped.
I've worked so hard for it,
and the whole goal was
to be ready for anything
that's thrown my way.
And my mindset was like,
if I'm not ready for it now,
I'm just never gonna be
ready for it.
So let's find out.
- Gold Cup's
a massive opportunity.
It's a full month
where you're traveling,
training, recovering,
competing every single day.
That time that you're
with that team, that matters.
That's time
in front of the staff.
It's time with your teammates
on and off the field.
That is where you'll
develop this chemistry
that carries you into the big
tournaments like the World Cup.
So many guys get
into that rhythm,
they get in that flow.
And so it should be
no different
for this group of players,
especially
with the state of the team
right now.
- Only worries and concerns
for this team
going into this tournament
right now, I mean,
right now,
things are as pessimistic
and as negative
around this group
as it has been in a long time.
[tense music]
The story of this team
since I've been covering them
day in, day out since 2019,
has been a story
of optimism, excitement.
A home World Cup is syncing up
with the golden generation,
the best team in the history
of the U.S. men's
national team.
And that carried
all the way through
to the World Cup in Qatar.
Since then, the narrative
around this team has shifted.
There's fear. There's concern.
♪
Pochettino arrived
as a savior.
Well, guess what.
The problems are a little bit
deeper than just a coach.
♪
[indistinct chatter]
- Come one, choose Tyler.
- Good one.
- Good. Not too close.
Not too close.
- Where do we stand right now?
It's a big question mark.
Is this going to work?
Is this meshing?
Can this guy figure it out?
Is this team going to deliver
on the promise
to lift the game
and take advantage
of this moment,
this World Cup
that's supposed to throw fuel
onto the fire of the growing
popularity of the sport?
♪
Or is it going to simmer out?
This tournament needs
to start to answer
some of those questions.
♪
- Get my face
off the ground ♪
Watch me step better ♪
This is a setup,
this is a setup ♪
Yeah, this a setup ♪
From the dirt
on the ground ♪
Watch me go
and get up, yeah ♪
Had to get up,
had to get up ♪
Had to go and get up ♪
Face in the wind,
pacing to win ♪
Caged in again ♪
Ain't chasing no friends ♪
Ain't nothing
other than me ♪
And my brother now ♪
Nothing other than me ♪
And my brother now ♪
Nothing other than me ♪
And my brother now ♪
Nothing other than,
nothing other than ♪
♪
We got it ♪
'Cause you know
we really 'bout it ♪
- I just said the same thing.
- Right?
- With these guys?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- I mean, the energy.
- That's validating
for my body right now.
- Really?
With the--with the trainings
or the games?
- Yeah.
Y'all's days at this camp
are unbelievable.
- Like, 15-hour shifts.
[upbeat music]
♪
- Yeah, we're about to do
an interview right now.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah!
- No, no, no.
- Yes, that's the shit
right there.
- There's a lot of key guys
that are not here.
What opportunity
does that create?
- Any time, you know, when you
look at the national team,
you have to think
about the entire pool.
- A lot of young kids getting
their first real opportunity
with the national team.
- Key players missing,
but it's another chance
for more players to step up.
[tense music]
- Just kind of pull
your jersey down in the front
so we see the 10.
Yeah, there you go, perfect.
That's fine.
What do you want people to see?
[dramatic music]
♪
- I want people
to--to feel excited
when they see me on the pitch.
- Luna!
- I'm going to give 100%,
whether it's for club,
whether it's for country.
♪
Right here, right here.
♪
I didn't come from much.
My parents worked extremely
hard to give us what we had.
For me, it was just always
working for what I wanted
and working to provide
for me or for my family.
Dude, I'm not even kidding you.
Dude.
Aah.
I come from
a Mexican background
with two older brothers
and an older sister.
Being the youngest, right,
out of the--out of the crew,
you know,
they always pushed me.
There was always a little bit
of pressure to make it.
Wearing the crest and having
your name on the back,
there's no bigger privilege
in the soccer world
than to play
for your national team.
It's the number one thing
that I dreamt of as a kid.
♪
- A really nice victory
for a MLS-based U.S. squad.
This all started
with the play of Diego Luna.
- Yeah, the wayward elbow
comes up, catches Diego Luna.
- I knew I broke my nose--
head over to the sideline.
Coach was talking
about taking me off.
I was like,
that's not happening.
You work your butt off
to be in a position like that.
I could still run.
I could still see.
So I was like,
it's not gonna be
taken away from me today.
It might have been one of
the best decisions of my life.
- Luna, who has space
to carry the ball forward.
Movement ahead of him
as Luna slides it through.
It's Brian White,
and he scores!
[cheers and applause]
- Mauricio, before we
let you go, I have to ask you.
When Diego Luna
came over to you,
what did he say to you about
wanting to stay in the game?
What did you say to him?
[laughter]
Yeah.
- It was after surgery--
I'm still on the meds
and stuff--
and I saw this video
where he said,
you know,
"Showed big balls," right?
But for me,
it was just, you know,
me playing and me being me.
♪
- I think Diego's a badass.
When you see him on the field,
I mean,
you see those fucking tattoos
everywhere, and--
but then off the field,
he's the nicest guy ever.
He doesn't care
who we're playing.
He's gonna go out there
and play his game.
- Things that we do
on the field
should always be the same
off the field--
the work ethic,
the motivation you have.
It's always gonna lead you
to better things.
It's exactly how I want my son
to see me, see the effort
and the motivation
and the grit that I had
and have him be more than me.
[soft music]
♪
- This group needs
to be pushed.
Players who were a big part
of this team in 2022 in Qatar
know that they are
a big part of this team.
And that's a good thing
in some ways,
but it can also be
a negative within a group.
You want people looking over
their shoulders constantly.
Can you make it so that
somebody like Weston McKennie
is saying, "Well,
he could pick Diego Luna
"in the starting lineup
for a different look
this time around"?
At this time,
after what happened
at the Nations League,
they have to have a good
performance in the group stage
against these teams--
Trinidad and Tobago,
Saudi Arabia, and Haiti.
Three teams that
they should beat.
- The lineups came out.
Let's keep it real here.
Matt Freese, he's getting
the start in goal,
the trust from Pochettino.
- You're going with
a guy that has
some more games
under his belt recently.
He's probably
a little bit sharper.
The question is, does he give
him the entire tournament?
- And we are underway
in Group D
in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
It's the United States
against Trinidad and Tobago.
Pressure here getting
to Trinidad and Tobago.
Slotted through.
Jack McGlynn cuts it back.
Still McGlynn
to the back post.
Settled, Tillman scores!
The opening goal belongs
to Malik Tillman.
Diego Luna with some options.
Luna centering,
Tillman doubling his tally.
Luna cutting in.
Luna going.
Goal deflected and in.
Sometimes things go your way.
Brenden Aaronson.
Aaronson going for goal
and scoring.
♪
Haji Wright, far post.
5, the United States.
[crowd chanting]
Step two
of the Gold Cup journey
brings us deep
in the heart of Texas.
And a much sterner test
tonight awaiting
the men of the United States
here in Austin.
Berhalter stands
over the free kick.
Tillman runs away.
Berhalter hooking it in.
It's Richards, it's a goal!
And the U.S. does use
the set piece,
and the U.S. finally breaks
through against Saudi Arabia.
♪
Here in Arlington, Texas,
it's the United States
against Haiti.
♪
Brenden Aaronson
cuts it along.
Tillman's there.
Malik Tillman.
♪
Oh, boy.
Given away by Matt Freese
and a mishit ball.
It's in the back of the net.
- U.S. 1-0.
It's level here in Dallas.
- Agyemang again.
Pierre all the way up.
Patrick Agyemang, it's in.
The U.S. is back in front!
♪
The U.S.,
a perfect group stage.
They've won all three games.
And now
the business end starts.
On to the knockout round
for the U.S.
at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
[soft music]
♪
- I got the hot mic.
I think there's four people
mic'd up today,
and they're all goalies.
- If I'm Matt Turner,
I am beside myself
that I am not the starting
goalkeeper in this competition.
- That is the problem.
You don't have
a starting goalkeeper.
- Well, you do have
a starting goalkeeper.
I don't buy that
for one second,
because Matt Turner--
- Who's the starting
goalkeeper?
- Matt Turner.
- Matt Turner?
- Yeah.
- Good to go?
- Good to go.
- All right, let's do it, boys.
- Jog?
- Yeah, like a light jogging.
- Since Matt Turner was named
the starter of the U.S. team
leading into the 2022
World Cup,
there really hasn't
been a controversy
about who the starting
goalkeeper is.
That's no longer the case.
This Gold Cup could be
an enormous opportunity
for Matt Freese to take
that starting job away
from the incumbent
World Cup goalkeeper.
- Nice, Matt. Get rid of it.
Nice, Matthew.
- To create a player pool
that's full of people
who are willing to do
whatever it's gonna take
to get that next call up,
to get that next, you know,
opportunity in a game,
I think that's
what Mauricio has been
trying to instill and create,
an atmosphere
where everyone's hungry.
- Good choice, Matt.
- As a goalkeeper, like,
the most important thing
is, like, that rhythm
of playing games.
And your timing is different.
And you feel the pitch
a little bit better,
and you build confidence.
Not having had that
at Crystal Palace
in the better part
of three seasons now,
it's been really, really tough.
You need to be
in a situation where
you're playing enough
in order for that feeling
to carry over
into the national team games.
I don't have that right now.
It feels like every single time
I'm stepping on the pitch,
it's like it's a do-or-die.
I got to do well or else.
Catch the fucking ball.
- Keeper!
- Because of my club
situation
- Good hands, Matt.
- Over the last
18, 24 months,
it's been really challenging
for me to find
that consistency again.
Obviously, I want to play,
you know, because
when I'm playing my best,
I know I am the best.
- Oh, no.
- Goalkeeping sucks,
but I love it.
I fucking love it.
- Matt and I,
we have a great relationship,
very competitive.
I don't think either of us
would want it any other way.
- Patience. Three men inside!
Three men inside.
- Feet, feet, feet--no feet.
- Left shoulder, Timmy.
Left shoulder.
- Tempo, tempo.
- Stay open.
Stay open.
Hold the line.
- Come on. Touch and play.
Touch and play. Touch and play.
Check your shoulders.
- Wait, come down.
- Check your fucking shoulders.
- Whole line up, up, up.
♪
- Fuck's sake, man.
- You are going to shoot
one penalty each.
- Yes.
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, in his head.
- I knew it. Ooh!
- Good save, Mattie.
- Oh, my fucking days, man.
- Fucking hell, Luca.
- Yeah, Luca!
♪
- Oh, love it, Nate Dogg.
- [laughs]
- Me first.
[suspenseful music]
- Nope, nope.
♪
- No!
[whistle blasts]
- Did you read it
or did you react?
- I waited.
- Oh, smart.
- Yeah. [grunts]
- I got to get over
what just happened.
I got to use it.
I got to use it as fuel.
Freezy, three crossbars.
Three--three fucking crossbars.
Freezy wins the shootout.
It's insane.
- I want to--I want
to hop in here.
- When it's not happening
for you, it's not happening.
But you got to make it happen.
You got to speak it.
- Yeah, they haven't said
who's starting on Sunday yet.
I thought we were
gonna get the shout,
to be honest,
before this training session.
I felt like some little quotes
throughout the week
have, like, insinuated that
I could potentially play,
but they haven't said anything.
Everything I've ever done
in my career
is to advance my place
with the national team.
I've been addicted to it.
I've literally sacrificed
all my free time,
all my vacation time.
I do everything I can
to always wear this shirt.
- You are happy?
- Hey!
- It's because we're mic'd up.
It's because the microphone.
- [laughs]
- I don't really care
about anybody else,
but just proving
to myself again
all the sacrifices
that I've ever made
to wear this crest
are worth it.
[tense music]
- With this group,
it's about building confidence
and belief that
you deserve to be here.
And I think that's been
a huge part of this Gold Cup.
The group stage really helped
kind of build up confidence
in everything
that they were doing.
And then the first knockout
game against Costa Rica,
well, now this is when
it really starts to--to matter.
- It is win or go home
on a beautiful day
in Minneapolis.
♪
The CONCACAF Gold Cup
quarterfinals
between the United States
and Costa Rica.
- Matt Freese keeping
his place in goal
after three wins
in the group stage.
- The United States
trying to do
what every U.S. team
has been able to do
for a quarter century,
and that is find a way
to advance to the next round.
But a big challenge coming
from Costa Rica.
♪
Now we're underway.
It is the United States
wearing blue.
It is the Ticos
of Costa Rica in white.
And the United States,
after a blowout win
against Trinidad and Tobago,
did what they had to do.
Looking to reset.
A slip from Luna.
Mora picks it up now,
Arfsten backing off.
Able to block the cross.
And an awkward challenge,
as Arfsten goes in.
It's a penalty for Costa Rica.
- Kicks straight
into the leg of Vargas.
Absolutely a penalty.
[tense music]
♪
- Matt Freese between him
and an early lead
for Costa Rica here
in Minneapolis.
♪
And it's in.
Freese got a hand to it,
but he couldn't keep it out.
♪
And Costa Rica have
the early lead.
Half an hour played
in the home of the Vikings
in Minneapolis,
and the early penalty goal
for Francisco Calvo is
the difference.
Tillman from Agyemang
to the byline.
Cutting it in front.
It's gonna find Alex Freeman.
♪
- Tillman is still down
inside the box.
And he was signaling
to the bench
the signal for VAR.
And I wonder
if he feels he took
a really hard and late tackle
after he crossed that ball
into the box.
[whistle blasts]
- Penalty.
[crowd cheering]
[suspenseful music]
♪
On the outside of the post!
Arfsten first to pick it up.
Arfsten fires, saved by Navas.
And it's gonna spin in behind
for a corner.
♪
- It's definitely hard.
I mean, all the pressure
is on the shooter.
You're just expected to score.
♪
- So here we go.
Now it's--
- Scrambling up here.
♪
- I think that will be
the message.
The U.S. are finding good ways
to create goalscoring
opportunities.
- Still from Tillman.
Arfsten for Luna.
Diego Luna, deflected goal!
Diego Luna,
first international goal!
[cheers and applause]
- Malik Tillman gets away.
Malik Tillman hands it off.
Here's Max Arfsten,
and he scores!
Arfsten, his first career
international goal.
Two for company,
and he splits them open.
Fires, Freese saves!
Rebound, still alive.
And Costa Rica tied it
with 20 minutes to play
in Minneapolis.
Luna charging in,
Agyemang, Tillman!
He might have just taken
a coat of paint
off the crossbar
right through.
- Mauricio Pochettino,
tell us--
I want to see how these guys
handle the stress.
How do they perform
under pressure?
- Here we go.
Freeman had it blocked.
Martínez,
off the outside of the post,
and the rebound is
cleared away.
And we are gonna go
to a penalty shootout
here in Minneapolis.
Each team
[muffled speech
continues on TV]
[crowd cheering on TV]
[tense music]
♪
So right down the middle
for Martínez.
Tyler Adams might not be
wearing the armband
at this tournament,
but he's still very much
a captain of this
national team.
The 26-year-old
from Wappingers Falls is
taking in a penalty shootout
for the first time
in his career.
♪
Saved.
- A terrific save
from Matt Freese.
- And now here comes
Malik Tillman,
who had a penalty kick.
He put it off the post.
Does he have
the same confidence?
Now he fires it!
♪
Saved!
[cheers and applause]
John Tolkin can win
the shootout with this kick.
♪
As we enter
sudden death rounds.
♪
Saved!
- He's feeling it.
That's a goalie
in the zone right now.
Here's your moment,
and he is seizing it
in the shootout.
And it's gonna be
an opportunity
for Damion Downs
to punch the ticket
to the semifinal for the U.S.
♪
- [exhales deeply]
♪
[crowd cheering]
[soft music]
♪
- Let's go, man.
- Respect to those guys
for stepping up,
especially Malik after missing
and going on to take that one.
It's a lot of balls.
[pensive music]
- Yeah, it was
a tough game today.
Obviously, I also take
some responsibilities.
Yeah, should have
scored the pen,
but even happier that we have
Matt Freese in the team.
He did amazing.
And now it's about focusing
on the semis.
♪
- All right, we'll start with
Sebastian Berhalter here.
- To be in this position,
like, I just look down
at the crest every day like,
wow.
Like, I'm actually wearing
this--this crest right now.
It's--it's a dream come true.
And you know,
now I want to go and win
a trophy for my country.
It's something that's been
in me my whole life.
I've been to three
World Cups now,
first with my dad as a player
and then obviously as a coach.
♪
When my dad was a coach, I--
of course, I wanted
to be on the team.
And you know,
he told me for real
that I'm not good enough.
And that's real.
He's like, look,
you're not even starting
for your club team
in Vancouver.
He's like, you have no chance,
you know,
and that's something that,
it hurt to hear,
but I knew he--
you know, he gets it.
He understands.
I have to get better.
And this is a journey,
and if I want to be
on this team in four years,
like, I've got
a lot of work to do.
- Berhalter on the first time!
And what a wonderful
strike that is
from Sebastian Berhalter.
♪
- Getting called up
to the national team,
I knew that I had a chance,
and I knew if I had worked
as hard as I could
and if I kept doing the things
I've been doing,
that I would be there.
[soft music]
Calling my dad, you know,
after finding out
and just telling him,
hey, man, like,
I made the team, and he's like,
"All right, man,
like, that's amazing.
Congrats."
You know, such--just like,
nothing crazy,
nothing over the top.
Just like, "Hey, buddy,
congrats," you know.
And I was just like,
thanks, man.
Appreciate it.
He's been, you know,
everything to me.
He's been a role model.
He's been Dad.
He's been best friend.
He's been, you know, Coach.
I'm so lucky to have someone
like him in my life.
It's crazy to think
that, you know,
I'm following in his footsteps
once again
and becoming a player
for this country.
And yeah, I just want
to make him proud.
Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Thank you. Appreciate it.
- Thank you.
Get the microphone off of you.
- It's always nice
coming back here.
It's always nice to--to play
in your hometown.
I think it's something
that, as a kid,
you always dream of,
never knowing that
you're gonna get
that opportunity.
And to be able to do it
representing your country,
representing your town,
your family, your friends,
it's always special.
- What kind of music?
- Please,
no "Hamilton" soundtrack.
Bro--Tim,
did I tell you about that?
From Wimbledon to Beckenham,
this dude's like,
"Bro, let me show you
a song really quick."
It was the whole
"Hamilton" soundtrack, bro.
- I so badly want to put
one "Hamilton" song on,
but I'm not going to.
[laughter]
They're good, bro.
They're fine.
Like, they--
- Who?
- Guatemala.
- Oh, yeah, bro.
- They did well
last Gold Cup as well.
- Bro!
- This is the biggest game
of these guys' lives.
- Yeah.
- We have to play it
like it's ours as well.
- That's true.
- If we don't,
we'll be in trouble.
- Hell yeah.
- There it is.
- Hell yeah!
- I need the Miss Vickie's
kettle chips,
and I need maybe a tall--
maybe a cream soda
or something, bro,
or a Coke in a glass bottle.
- Ooh!
- My wife's aunt and uncle
owned this little
mom-and-pop shop here.
The boys were asking
about sandwiches, and I said,
well, the best place I know
is Le Grand's.
So that's where we are.
- Are these the ones to get?
- The Red Hot--Red Hot Riplets.
They're red hot.
- Oh, they're hot?
- How hot we talking?
- Hot-hot.
- This is red hot.
- I like hot-hot.
- Like on a scale
of scotch bonnet
- Wait, what's
- Oh.
- Those are red hot.
- How hot we talking?
- Hot, hot. 10.
- OK, all right.
All right, all right,
so it's hot.
- Those are the best.
- Cool.
- St. Louis.
- St. Louis special.
- Period.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Have a good one.
- You too!
- Thank you.
- I have to get this one.
- Uh, can I get the Alberto?
- Good choice.
- Tim, this you?
- Oh, shit, Mark.
[laughter]
Wrong picture, bro.
- My fault. It's this one.
- Amen, amen.
Man, I can't get my little
finger tape dirty.
- Mmm.
- Mmm.
Muy bien.
- I can't lie.
This reminds me of, like,
how I grew up.
- This is one of the things
that, like,
being in England,
I missed so much.
- Yeah.
- Dude, you can't--
- Because you can't--
they don't do sandwiches
the way they do here.
Hi.
[soft music]
- Don't be--
- No, go say hi to him.
- Can you sign?
- Of course.
♪
Do you want
everybody to sign it?
Do you want all my friends
to sign it?
- Really tight.
Hold it really tight,
'cause I'm gonna pull it.
There you go.
♪
- Pull it as tight as possible.
Gotcha.
- Yes.
- Hey.
♪
- How you doing?
Sign your shirt?
All right.
- Thank you.
- Well, that was
a impromptu session.
- Yeah.
- It's neat when you, like--
you have the support in cities
where it just, like--
it comes out of nowhere.
It's nice.
It just shows
the level of support,
especially here in St. Louis,
is always really good.
♪
It gives you an idea
that tomorrow night,
the support's gonna be there,
the crowd's gonna be lively.
And you know, for us,
it's put on a performance
and a show for them.
[crowd chanting]
[ominous music]
♪
- Guatemala is
in the semifinals
of a Gold Cup
for the first time since 1996.
I would not be surprised
if we see a crowd tonight
that is mostly Guatemaltecos,
because they've been waiting
a whole generation
to have a moment like this.
♪
You're going to see a very
confident Guatemala team.
This game will mean
everything to Guatemala.
So if it means less than
everything for the U.S.,
it's gonna be trouble.
The U.S. has to be able
to match the energy,
the emotion,
the want of Guatemala tonight
if they're gonna get a result.
♪
- I had a nice speech
for all of you tonight.
Then I stepped out there.
Simple.
We embrace this,
and we fucking own it.
Let's fucking go tonight.
USA on three. One, two, three.
all: USA!
- Unchanged lineup
for Mauricio Pochettino
and the United States.
Matt Freese, as expected,
keeping his place
after that heroic performance
against Costa Rica.
- It is hot.
It is loud here in St. Louis.
And it's about
90% Guatemalan fans.
And we are underway.
The men of the United States
in the dark blue.
And now they're trying to do
what U.S. teams of the past
have done more than any other
nation in Gold Cup history,
and that's win a semifinal.
Trying to settle
the bouncing ball.
Cuts it back in.
Tillman, the feint,
turns it inside.
Rebound, Luna!
[suspenseful music]
Diego Luna,
goals in back-to-back games
and a perfect early start
for the United States!
Meanwhile, Guatemala
kicked off quickly.
It's been an extremely
physical sequence of tackles
going back and forth.
♪
Here's Diego Luna now.
Luna, great dance.
Luna!
[cheers and applause]
- This is just spectacular
from Diego Luna.
It's a man of the moment.
He's feeling it.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Herrera for Rubin to chase.
Freese is backing off,
and Rubin forces the save.
First of the game
out of Matt Freese.
- He hesitated.
And Tim Ream's saying,
"Look, you got to come there."
Made a great save
at the near post, didn't he?
Pochettino hands on his head.
- Santis.
Out-swinging corner.
Free header, saved!
Rebound, scramble!
U.S. tried to clear.
They're gonna get a chance
to clear, and they do.
[whistle blasts]
- Make sure
you're communicating
with Tim on the runs in.
He's coming on his backside.
- No one can make
a fucking decision.
There's a little bit of noise,
and everyone's
fucking scrambling.
We need to fucking relax, bro.
- Yeah, I know.
[speaking indistinctly]
- Oh, shit.
- Alex Freeman has got
options in the box.
Freeman on the deck.
Brenden Aaronson
can't get below.
He's gonna get back
to that first touch.
♪
Freeman, a second chance.
Lifts it in.
Agyemang climbs the ladder
and forces a save
out of Navarro!
Out for a U.S. corner.
Remarkably, first corner
of the game for the U.S.
Guatemala's first Gold Cup
semifinal since 1996.
It's a great move
to cut inside.
Ordóñez, a chance now,
and it's a goal.
It's Escobar.
[crowd cheering]
♪
McGlynn.
Richards, and bound to go,
and ends up right
in the goalkeeper's hands.
♪
One minute gone of the four.
Tillman flying through.
Aaronson flying through.
Herrera gets away.
Santis now.
Chance to cross.
Comes top of the box.
It's Morales!
♪
And that is it!
And the U.S. is
headed to Houston
for the Gold Cup final.
[crowd cheering]
[cheers and applause]
[soft music]
♪
- It is the United States
awaiting the winner
of this one here tonight.
Mexico hoping to keep
the ball, kill off this game.
[whistle blasts]
Referee trying to keep
this game under control,
and it's about to spiral
out of control, and now the
And that's it!
For the eighth time,
it will be
a United States-Mexico
Gold Cup final.
- Who do you want?
No one else but Mexico.
Let's go.
Let's get it.
- Sunday in Houston,
it will be
the U.S. against Mexico.
Eighth Gold Cup final
between the two.
Mexico has won
five of the seven,
but the U.S. won
the last one in 2021.
It's gonna be fun.
- It's going to be fun.
- USA-Mexico doesn't really
need an introduction.
Look at the last times
these teams have played
in competitive CONCACAF games--
the Nations League in Vegas
and Weston McKennie's
ripped shirt.
You think about before that,
the photo
with Christian Pulisic.
The rivalry side always is
what carries it through.
- And Reyna is really
having some words.
- It's so deep-rooted.
I don't even know
that there are words
that you can use on camera
to be able to describe this.
- I think it's the greatest
international rivalry,
given the proximity
of the countries,
given the history
that we have,
given the competitive nature
of this that is now
going back decades.
- USA!
- There is a period of time
where it was dominated
by Mexico.
Then there was a long
period of time
in the modern football era
that it was dominated
by the U.S.
- There is this pendulum
that goes back and forth.
Don't think for a second
that this can't change.
♪
- You know, both of these
national team programs
are still trying
to figure out who they are
ahead of a really important
home World Cup.
Both of them have
immense pressure on them.
Obviously,
it's kind of the dream final,
U.S.-Mexico in Houston.
Everything on the line,
and let's see
if you can go punch for punch
with your biggest rival.
Come on, come on, leap fast.
Leap fast, leap fast.
Come on, come on,
come on, come on.
[applause]
- Yeah, this is gonna be
pretty similar
to what we're gonna try to do
next summer as well.
I think it was a good teaser,
you know?
It has been a lot, though.
[dramatic music]
Got to nine different cities.
♪
It's been tough--
40 days away from family.
♪
- Uhuh--ooh.
Mm, yummy.
[baby crying]
Oh, no.
[baby crying]
OK, OK, OK.
Ah, ah, ah.
[soft music]
Luna, can you say hi?
It's been beautiful
to raise a daughter.
Seeing her grow every day
and grow a little personality
and, you know, all these
little milestones, and
being a girl dad is pretty fun.
♪
It's cool to give, you know,
my daughter these experiences.
Like I said,
growing up in London,
this game is
what feeds your family.
♪
I had this ambition
from young that
it's something I wanted to do,
but it was something
that I never felt like
was actually doable.
♪
I grew up
in Birmingham, Alabama,
high school football central.
♪
Kind of just felt
like an outsider,
playing soccer my whole life.
♪
On top of that,
my mom's white,
my dad's Black.
I knew my identity.
I knew I was a mixed kid,
but society saw me
as a Black man.
I played basketball,
and I played soccer.
♪
Back home, there was no
Black kids playing soccer.
So I kind of felt too Black
for my soccer friends
and felt too white
for my basketball friends.
I'm a mixed kid
playing both sports.
I already kind of feel
like the odd man out
on both sides of the spectrum.
I just kind of embraced it.
When I finally made a decision
to only stick with soccer,
it was an easy one for me,
because I was already
on my own pathway
when it came
to everything else in life.
I went to FC Dallas
and signed a homegrown deal.
Three months later,
I was off to Bayern Munich
out of nowhere.
I went from slugging it out
in Birmingham, Alabama,
at 16 years old
to signing with
one of the biggest clubs
in the world,
all within two years.
- Chris Richards is
a little nervous
on his first full start
for Bayern.
Richards slots it
back through.
Lewandowski turns
and finds the target!
Chris Richards gets
that assist.
- After four full years
in Germany,
I ended up making my way
to Crystal Palace.
[crowd chanting]
Wembley again!
Wembley again, ole, ole!
[dramatic music]
- Coming here to London,
it was like, OK.
Like, this is--
like, this is dope, you know.
- Pandemonium at the Palace!
- They love soccer.
Because it was so easy
to be myself,
it was just a perfect match
for me, a perfect fit.
♪
Oh, my goodness.
Good morning.
Oh, good morning.
London definitely
helped form me
into the man I am today.
I came here with
a lot of ambition
and, you know, straight away,
it was kind of shot down
with missing the World Cup.
[tense music]
♪
I'll never forget, you know,
I picked up an injury,
tore my quad--
like, complete tear.
It's three weeks away
from the World Cup.
I knew straight away
that it was done.
For me, the lowest point
in my career,
because I was this close
to living out
my childhood dream.
And it was the first,
you know,
real professional setback
that I had,
and I felt like
the world had crumbled.
- Missing the World Cup
set him back mentally.
It took some time for him
to regain his confidence.
♪
- I had to realize
that life goes on.
It's about
showing the world that
nothing can knock you down.
♪
- Opening kickoff
in Las Vegas between
the United States and Canada
for the CONCACAF
Nations League final.
Gio Reyna.
It's Richards!
18 months between caps!
His first international goal.
[dramatic music]
- Well, it's an honor
and a privilege
to wear the shirt--
let's go out there
and act like it.
Get stuck in, and let's
fucking take our chances.
Let's win.
U.S. on three. One, two, three.
all: USA!
♪
- You know, we're playing
on home soil in the World Cup.
For me, this has always
meant everything to me,
and I want it
to mean everything
to everybody at home.
We want to see every stadium
70,000 full
of red, white, and blue.
♪
This has been
our life's journey
to get to be able to play
for the national team,
and so we want you all
to also feel that from us.
♪
We have a big game on Sunday,
and I think there's no better
reward than beating Mexico,
especially in the final.
- Playing Mexico, as a kid,
these are the games
you dream of playing,
you know,
in front of a great crowd
and for your country.
It doesn't get much better.
I want to come home with
a trophy, as simple as that.
There's nothing more to it.
[suspenseful music]
- It's gonna be, again,
another hostile environment
against a really good
Mexico side.
♪
- Who's the favorite,
U.S. or Mexico?
- Well, Rob Stone,
I've been told,
since this tournament started
and before,
that this is a group
of B and C players
from the U.S. team.
This is Mexico's full team.
♪
It would be incredibly
embarrassing
for the Mexican
national team--
no, hey, for Mexico as
a country to lose this game,
this final in Houston
♪
- I think it seems way bigger
than just a final.
And I don't know
if that's because
the World Cup is so close,
but this is the last time
they're gonna get
tournament experience.
You're fighting not just
to win a final--
roster spots coming up
and making your last impact.
[whooshing]
- [singing in Spanish]
["Himno Nacional Mexicano"
playing]
♪
[whistle blasts]
[tense music]
[crowd cheering]
♪
- What a month it has been
for the United States.
A team very unexpectedly
put together
that came into camp
five weeks ago,
and they've been able to get
the job done over and over
and reach now
the final once again.
Agyemang chopped down,
and the U.S. will take
the free kick.
♪
Sebastian Berhalter,
the 24-year-old son
of former U.S. coach
and former U.S. player
Gregg Berhalter.
♪
Berhalter will hook that in,
looking for Chris Richards!
It's off the underside
of the bar!
The flag comes up!
The goal is given
on the field!
It's Chris Richards
from Sebastian Berhalter
less than four minutes in!
[crowd cheering]
[triumphant music]
♪
[suspenseful music]
♪
- A really nice build-up
and patient from Mexico.
Mexico have been working
down that right side.
They switch
the point of attack.
U.S. a little slow
to rotate over.
- Ruíz gets it through
and finds Jiménez,
and he scores!
Raúl Jiménez roofs it,
and Mexico ties the game!
[crowd cheering]
♪
- This is more than
just a Gold Cup final.
These are two teams that will
be playing in the World Cup
340 days from now.
How will they respond?
♪
- Yes, there were
big names missing.
Yes, things had gone poorly
at the Nations League.
In some ways,
that maybe played even more
into Pochettino's hand.
He was bringing young players,
new players,
players with something to prove
into the group.
And he was saying,
"If you trust me,
"if you do things my way,
"it doesn't matter where
you play or what your name is.
We're going to win."
And that was going to set
the direction of this program
back towards one
that could challenge in 2026.
♪
[tense music]
♪
[bright tone]