The 2024 Copa América was supposed to be a coming-out party for the United States Men’s National Soccer Team. Team USA had boasted a strong performance at the 2022 World Cup—and was gearing up to host the sport’s biggest tournament in 2026. Instead, it crashed out of the tournament in the group stage, losing 1–0 to Uruguay on home soil. In the fourth episode of Owned Goals, hosts Alex Shephard, Miguel Salazar, and Ben Makuch discuss the team’s messy, tepid performance at the Copa as a metaphor for Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, and talk about where things go from here. They also discuss elections in France and the U.K., a very weird attempted coup in Bolivia, and the highlights of the Euros and Copa América as we head toward the semifinals.
Podcast
Owned Goals: Watching the USMNT as America Falls Apart
In the fourth episode of TNR’s soccer podcast, we discuss the collapse of U.S. soccer in the context of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, a very weird attempted coup in Bolivia, and elections in the U.K. and France.
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Cristian Pulisic screams at referee Kevin Ortega during Monday’s 1–0 loss to Uruguay.