AI Summary
5 min readTeam USA's World Cup Run and the NBA's Wild Trade Season
The U.S. men's national soccer team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Tuesday night, but the win came at a steep cost: forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card in the first half, meaning he'll miss not only the remainder of that game but also the round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday. The red card was borderline — Balogun's cleat raked down a Bosnian player's Achilles while both were going for the ball, with no apparent intent — but the punishment is severe. As Brian Noe put it, "It's so punitive what the punishment is. If it's borderline, if it isn't blatant, that's gotta be a yellow card every time." In American football terms, it would be like ejecting a left tackle for a personal foul and making him miss the next game too. Team USA held on to win 2-0 despite being down a man for 30 minutes, with Malik Tillman scoring on a free kick. But Balogun's absence looms large: Belgium, who beat the U.S. 5-2 just a few months ago, awaits in the round of 16.
Why Brian Noe Is Rooting Against Team USA
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:36) **Show Open & NFL Headlines** - Host Brian Noe welcomes listeners and teases NFL topics: Russell Wilson, coaches skipping the Combine, and the Bengals franchise-tagging Tee Higgins.
- 2 (04:06) **Team USA Soccer Win & Host's "Hater" Stance** - Brian reacts to Team USA's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, mixing praise with his stated reasons for rooting against the team.
- 3 (09:03) **Team USA's Next Opponent: Belgium** - Brian notes Team USA will face Belgium in the Round of 16, a team that beat them 5-2 in March.
- 4 (09:35) **Red Card Controversy for Balogun** - Audio clip and analysis of the red card issued to Folarin Balogun against Bosnia.
- 5 (13:32) **Defending His "Rooting Against USA" Stance** - Brian addresses listener backlash, clarifying he is rooting against the team, not the country.
- 6 (24:21) **NBA Trade Shocker: Celtics Deal Jaylen Brown** - Brian breaks down the reported trade sending Jaylen Brown to the Sixers for Paul George and draft picks.
- 7 (36:50) **Lakers' Desperate Trade for Walker Kessler** - Brian analyzes the Lakers' trade for Walker Kessler, giving up two unprotected first-round picks and swaps.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Brian Noe, filling in for Ben Maller, starts off the show discussing why he is rooting against Team USA at the World Cup and it may shock you. Then he discusses the Lakers desperation giving up four picks for Walkers Kessler before also discussing the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George.
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