Mexico vs USA (Feat. Kasey Keller)
The longtime USMNT goalkeeper joins up to talk Mauricio Pochettino, some possible side effects of his appointment, and American expectations for World Cup 2026.
At one point, Romário just shook the goalkeeper’s hand. The master marksman had won the golden boot at the World Cup four years earlier as Brazil romped to a fourth title, but he was denied here again by Kasey Keller, one of 10 saves the American net-minder made to see off the Brazilian magicians in a Gold Cup semifinal in 1998.
It was a transcendent performance, the rare chance for a goalkeeper to win the match for his team, and it sent the Americans through to the final and a date with old enemies Mexico at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Americans arrived in California to find they were the away team. The crowd was full of the green and white and red of Mexico, as their fans filled upwards of 90% of the seats. Such was U.S. Soccer life in the 1990s.
It’s a different game now, not least because the U.S. Men’s National Team has a new manager with top-level pedigree. Mauricio Pochettino will coach his first two matches during this international break, the second against Mexico, and expectations are exploding off in every direction. But the Argentine’s appointment doesn’t come without its headaches and its side effects, Keller said when he was kind enough to come by the show this week, and some of those skyrocketing expectations have come untethered from reality.
The ESPN analyst also looked back on his time as one of the first Americans to forge a career in the top European leagues. Before Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie were playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world, Keller was earning the respect of hard-nosed Millwall fans, climbing up into the Premier League before a stint living in Madrid and in a German castle. There was even that time the aforementioned Millwall faithful invaded the pitch and stripped him of nearly his entire kit…..
———————————
Or check it out on APPLE PODCASTS🍎
———————————
SATURDAY
SPAIN vs DENMARK
2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
The champions of Europe host Christian Eriksen and Denmark in the Nation’s League. Spain are reigning monarchs in this competition, too, along with the men’s U-19 EUROs and Olympics, the women’s U-17, U-20, and senior World Cups, the U-17 women’s EUROs, and the Women’s Nation’s League.
USA vs PANAMA
9pm ET
For a preview, check out the chat with Kasey above!
SUNDAY
There are some strong matches Sunday in THE WOMEN’S GAME:
LIVERPOOL vs MAN CITY
10am ET, 3pm UK
The hosts have climbed to the upper echelons of the Women’s Super League over recent seasons where they ran into Man City, who just haven’t been able to get over perennial champions Chelsea in recent years.
BARCELONA vs ESPANYOL
11:30am ET, 4:30pm UK
The Catalan derby in Liga F. Espanyol are facing off against the other team from Barcelona, who just so happen to be the best in the world.
REAL MADRID vs ATLÉTICO MADRID
2pm ET, 7pm UK
The Derbi Madrileño is always a charged affair, but these two also sit joint-top with Barcelona on 15 points from five games. Yep, all three are played five, won five, but something’s got to give here.
MONDAY
GERMANY vs NETHERLANDS
2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
These teams are joint-top of “League A Group 3” after two games, for whatever that’s worth.
BELGIUM vs FRANCE
2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
Has Belgium’s golden generation come and gone with just a bronze World Cup medal to show for it? They drew with Italy this past week, but they’re without Kevin De Bruyne as they take on the always-golden French. The football under Didier Deschamps may not always be everybody’s cup of tea, but they get results and have some fantastic technical footballers in the setup.
Kylian Mbappé won’t be among them here—he’s working his way back to fitness—and neither will Antoine Griezmann. The flow-haired forward announced his international retirement at the end of last month with 137 appearances—including in three major finals—on his resumé.
TUESDAY
URUGUAY vs ECUADOR
7:30pm ET
A World Cup qualifier? The South Americans always deliver the competitive football, and these are two of the best from that continent. They’re third and fourth, respectively, in the 2026 qualifying table, though Uruguay have a game in hand. This is a chance for Ecuador, whom Argentina required penalties to see off at Copa América this summer, to keep pace with them, Uruguay, and Los Cafeteros of Colombia at the strong end of the standings.
MEXICO vs USA
10:30pm ET
Check out the preview with Kasey above. This one will be played in Guadalajara at the Estadio Akron, one of three Mexican venues for the 2026 World Cup in North America.⚽︎